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Equality Scheme Statement and Policy

The Council has a clear policy on local equality and diversity.

It seeks to ensure that every person in our community can get the same level of service from the Council.

We are carrying out reviews and consultations to try to ensure that people are not, unknown to us, being excluded. We are trying to ensure that we address the circumstances where exclusion exists.

We are particularly keen to try to address any circumstances of prejudice or intolerance and will work with our partner organisations on such matters.

Equality and Diversity

East Devon District Council (EDDC) is fully committed to Equality and Diversity. It is the aim and objective of East Devon District Council to gain the Acheiving Level of the Equality Framework for Local Government (EFLG) in September 2010. The framework replaces the Equality Standards for Local Government. The EFLG is a simpler process but just as rigorous. The main difference is the EFLG is outcome focus based and does not solely rely on self assessment. As a result EDDC has overhauled the working practices and implemented changes to our services that reflect the needs of all our communities.

Equality Impact Needs Assessments are the tools that measure our performance in equalities. We have performed Equality Impacts Needs Assessments (EINA’s or EqIA’s) throughout every service and through these processes. We have a list of completed Equality Impact Needs Assessments on the EDDC website and updated our Integrated Equality Scheme (also known as Single Equality Scheme).

Over last 12 months EDDC have taken an inward look at our organisation. We‘ve identified the positives and negatives of our practices and take appropriate action to ensure that ALL our services are available to ALL East Devon residents and visitors to the area.

EDDC facilitates the East Devon Equality Forum (EDEF); the role of this group is to work in partnership with EDDC to ensure that we achieve our aims and goals as set out in the Integrated Equality Scheme. They will also act as a critical friend and provide advice and guidance on items such as policies, procedures and working practices throughout EDDC. The EDEF consists of Voluntary and Community sectors groups and statutory partners. If you would like to know more about their work or participate in this group please contact equality@eastdevon.gov.uk. See below for minutes/notes of these meetings

 Notes of the EDDC External Equalities Forum held on Tuesday 25th May 2010 (76KB - 07 September 2010 - PDF Help)

 Notes of the EDDC External Equalities Forum held on Tuesday 13th July 2010 (75KB - 07 September 2010 - PDF Help)

Our work on Equality and Diversity will be ongoing process as EDDC strives to ensure ALL our communities and visitors’ receive an excellent service and one that is the envy of other local governments.

Our approach to equality – organisational commitment and approach

As a Council we are committed to embedding equality and diversity into how we deliver our services to the community and in our employment practices.

East Devon District Council has been interested in Diversity working and responsiveness for some considerable time. Whilst we take seriously our responsibilities for the legally based equality strands there are many other issues we also wish to see addressed and have sought to address e.g. low income, youth as a minority in our population, the needs of a very elderly population, our rural spread etc.

In 2003, following the lead of the LSP the Council undertook a Social Inclusion review of each of its services against a long list of potentially marginalised overlooked or excluded groups. This was subsequently held up as an example of good practice by Housing Inspectors.

From this point we instituted a corporate equalities group to follow through the implications of the reviews, we instituted a Member Equalities Champion, and we undertook our self assessment under the previous Equalities Standard at Level 1, which we were satisfied we reached. We originally had separate schemes for each of the equality strands but combined these in 2008. A revision has recently been made to account for the Single Equalities Act. This scheme is fairly brief as this is the ‘house style’.

We determined to reach Level 2 and so we set in place a major scheme of Equalities Impact and Needs Assessment work across the Council led by the training officer in the Organisational Development team.

Whilst this basic work continued the Council faced a two year period of uncertainty where there seemed a real prospect of abolition under the Unitary review of Devon.

As soon as this threat lifted the Council felt it needed to forge ahead with the diversity and equality agenda and took on an officer jointly with Mid Devon District Council to provide the necessary skill, impetus and focus. With this assistance we have linked together the existing parts to create a more robust infrastructure for equalities and diversity working.

Members, Officers and the community are all able to become engaged in the process. The equalities approach is now embedded in Service reviews, committee templates, an external Equalities Forum and there is a formalised review process through a ‘Champion’ for equalities, as well as a formal committee monitoring and scrutiny approach.

Our Overview and Scrutiny Committees have a standard prompt at the beginning of their agendas about diversity, this is designed to help ensure that no one will “lose out” due to the way we provide services etc.

Further Information

 Equality Scheme Statement and Policy (98KB - 15 July 2010 - PDF Help)

 Equality Impact Assessments List (12KB - 25 May 2010 - PDF Help)

If you have any issues relating to Equality or Diversity in East Devon, please the Customer Service Centre. You can do this confidentially.
E-mail: csc@eastdevon.gov.uk

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Page last updated on 1 July 2011