Wyre Council values and celebrates the diversity of the communities living, working, visiting and learning in Wyre, and recognises that this very diversity means that people come from different backgrounds, have different needs, problems, different life chances, and experiences. The geographical make up of Wyre also means that there are different issues faced by those living in the urban and rural parts of the borough. Our approach to equality and diversity is to ensure that our customers come first and services are designed or adapted to meet the needs of different people and different communities.
Our vision
Our vision for equality and diversity in Wyre is:
- to recognise people’s different needs, situations and goals and give equality of outcome
- to remove the barriers and inequalities that limit what people can do and improve life chances
- to be a place where people can live in the ways they value and choose and where people from different communities get on well together
- to make the council an employer of choice
The key challenges facing Wyre, in terms of equality and diversity are:
- issues of inequality of opportunity and of outcomes as a result of poverty and deprivation, predominantly in urban areas (age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, sex)
- a disproportionately larger, ageing population and resulting increases in health/ disability issues (age, disability, sex)
- issues of rural and social isolation, specifically on particular sections of the community, such as older people (age, disability, sex)
Equality objectives
We will build an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve and staff feel confident to be their authentic selves at work.
How we will do it
- Continue to collect and review existing workforce data and expand to include further protected characteristics. Review our Policies and Procedures to ensure that they support an inclusive workplace.
- Review and monitor the data collected in comparison to that of our local community/population.
- Promote recruitment to the council within the community.
How we will measure success
- Decrease of any differential between workforce and community equality data.
- Positive feedback through staff surveys/pulse surveys.
- Data collected/reviewed and monitored includes increased number of protected characteristics.
We will develop and improve staff and member EDI knowledge and skills to enable them to respond to the needs of our community
How we will do it
- Provide training for Managers, Report Authors and Members.
- Set up EDI E-Learning as mandatory training for all staff.
How we will measure success
- % of staff attending arranged training events.
- % of staff completing mandatory E-Learning module.
- Improved satisfaction Residents Surveys.
We will strive to ensure EDI is considered in development of strategies, policies and transformation plans
How we will do it
- Establish EDI Steering group to review and mentor report author Impact Assessments.
- Improve how we collect data and how we measure impact on EDI groups.
How we will measure success
Increase in number of completed EIA on Reports/ Strategies/Policies.