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 - Equality impact assessment
Wyre Council has embedded equality and diversity in our business planning process to ensure that it is an integral part of our decision-making process.
An equality impact assessment has been carried out on this business plan to ensure that we have considered its impact on the diverse communities living, working, visiting and learning in Wyre. Each of these key equality objectives are project managed and performance reports are produced to show how we are progressing them. The reports are submitted quarterly to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Introduction
Wyre Council Business Plan 2019-2023 (updated 2022).
This is an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) of Wyre’s 2019-2023 Business Plan. Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 imposes a legal duty, known as the Public Sector Duty (Equality Duty), on all public bodies, to consider the impact on equalities in all policy and decision making. The Equality Duty requires a public authority, in the exercise of its functions, to:
a) Consider the need to eliminate unlawful (direct or indirect) discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act;
b) Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it; and
c) Foster good relations between people with protected characteristics and eliminate unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and promote good relations.
The Business Plan has been agreed by Wyre Council, and equality considerations have been considered by key officers. We have taken account of feedback from residents and our knowledge of our demographics and areas of most need.
Stakeholders
For the purpose of this assessment, the following protected characteristics have been considered; age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. In addition to the above, at Wyre, we have included deprivation as a criteria, and have assessed impact against this, as we feel that some of our communities may be adversely affected by economic and social circumstances.
About the plan
The Business Plan sets out our aims and aspirations for Wyre and our vision that “Wyre is a healthy, happy and greener place where people want to live, work, invest and visit”. The vision is supported by key priorities which are set out under three ambitions as follows:
- Economy – A strong local economy
- People – Empowered healthier communities
- Place – A cleaner, greener more sustainable environment
We have used the latest demographic information available and have drawn on our own research, such as from neighbourhood profiles, Public Health England Health profile, Life In Wyre and State of Wyre reports to help us develop this plan. The plan identifies key local issues and provides a set of actions to manage change which will be used by decision makers.
Impact of the plan
Based on the analysis carried out thus far, using the data available, we are able to preliminarily conclude that the Business plan advances equality of opportunity between persons who share the relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it, and will have a positive impact for all of our residents in terms of advancing equality and fostering good relations. Overall, we have assessed that the impact of the Plan on people with protected characteristics will be positive, and we have shown due regard to our Duties under all of the relevant sections of the 2010 Act.
Monitoring
The impact of the Business Plan will be monitored quarterly, and we will make any necessary adjustments to the EqIA as appropriate.
Date of EqIA – 11 February 2022
Responsible Manager: M Hesketh