Agenda item

The Executive RESOLVED that the Equality Strategy 2021-23, as set out at Annex A to the report, be adopted.

The Equality Working Group had recently considered a draft programme for Members’ equality training, and had agreed that Ioda Ltd, which led the training sessions during the 2019 Member induction programme, would be invited to deliver further training early in the 2021/22 municipal year.

This would focus upon ‘The Doorstop Challenge’, sessions aimed to equip Members with the tools to hold difficult conversations around equality and to challenge members of the public who held discriminatory views. The sessions would also act as an aide memoire as to the responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.

Members had also discussed how best to support the myriad of annual commemorative events. The Equality Strategy included a template for members of the working group to nominate events to be supported.

The Working Group had acknowledged the greater potential for the Council to celebrate its diversity of religions followed within the borough; and it had been agreed that religious festivals be included in the annual plan of events to be marked.  The Group also added Gypsy and Traveller week to the plan, and suggested that there was potential for the local Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities to make use of the Council’s facilities in order to celebrate events and hold open days.

RESOLVED that the Equality Strategy 2021-23, as set out at Annex A to the report, be adopted.