Cabinet Portfolio: - Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance
Strategic Directorate: - Assistant Chief Executive
Minutes:
Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 21 June 2021 regarding the Council’s annual equalities report. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Community Safety, the Chief Executive and Finance and the Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence attended the meeting to present the report.
It was noted that publishing an annual equalities report was part of the Council’s Public Sector Equality Duty with the report highlighting the Council’s progress made over the past 12 months towards advancing the equalities agenda. The report also detailed key achievements and case studies from across the Council as well as outlining some next steps that would be priority areas of action to support the equalities agenda during 2021/22.
The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance noted that it had been an exceptional year, with the Council’s focus being on responding to and starting to recover from COVID-19 pandemic. The Cabinet Member advised that the pandemic had exacerbated existing inequalities, with the most disadvantaged communities in the Borough being hit the hardest. The Cabinet Member noted that despite these challenges that throughout the Council’s response to the pandemic, equalities had remained an important priority, and would continue to be a priority as the Borough moved into recovery.
The Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence advised that the annual report had been structured around four key themes that were:
· Understanding and working with our communities.
· Leadership and organisational commitment.
· Responsive services and customer care.
· Diverse and engaged workforce.
The full Equalities Annual Report was attached as an appendix to the officer’s report.
Members asked for further information on activity around equality issues for residents who were digitally excluded or who lived in rural areas of the Borough where access to public transport and high-speed internet was limited. The Cabinet Member agreed that digital exclusion right across the Borough was of concern and advised that work continued to address this in local communities. The Cabinet Member advised that there would always be residents who could not access services online and that as such it was essential that alternative methods of access were maintained to ensure all residents had an equal access to council services.
Members asked with regards to workforce development whether there were any jobs where the Council struggled to recruit women and whether the Council had yet employed its first female refuse collector. The Chief Executive advised that the Council had made great steps forwards in supporting women in the workplace and that it had put processes in place to ensure that the needs of women in the workplace were listened to and acted on, such as the equality champions programme. The Chief Executive advised that there were no particular problems in recruiting women to roles across the Council, including in areas of work that had traditionally been seen as male dominated and that recruitment processes and methods had been reviewed so as to attract and encourage more women to apply for roles. The Chief Executive noted however that the Council was yet to employ its first female refuse collector.
Members asked if there were any problems regarding discrimination regarding maternity issues at the Council. The Chief Executive advised that was no evidence of serious problems around maternity and noted that the Council had a robust set of policies around both maternity and paternity.
Members asked how successful the Council had been in working with contractors to further the equalities agenda. The Cabinet Member advised that while it was still early days, that the Council’s Social Value Portal had started to make an impact in encouraging contractors to employ local people.
Members asked for further information on the equalities training that would be provided for staff and how the Council would engage staff as well as residents in driving forwards the Council’s equalities agenda. The Cabinet Member advised that equalities was a constantly developing area for the Council and noted key achievements including 95% of staff having completed equalities training and that all Council decision making reports included a full Equalities Impact Assessment that meant that equalities issues were always fully considered in decision making processes.
The Cabinet Member advised that staff and community engagement would need to be developed even further as the Council worked towards obtaining the ‘Excellent’ accreditation within the Local Government Association Equalities Framework. The Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence noted that equalities issues and considerations were front and centre to the Council’s Year Ahead Plan. The Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence advised that for the Council to develop its staff further with regard to equalities that more bespoke training for different groups of staff would need to offered so that every staff member could play a full role in advancing the Council’s ambitious equalities agenda.
Members asked how the objective contained in the plan for Rotherham to be an antiracist town would be achieved. The Cabinet Member advised that all elected members needed to work as role models and challenge racist actions and behaviour in their communities. The Cabinet Member noted that it was essential that elected members were proactive into getting out and influencing positive behaviour, for example in engaging with schools.
The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Community Safety, the Chief Executive and Finance and the Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence for attending the meeting and answering member questions,
Resolved: -
1) That Cabinet be advised that the recommendations be supported.
2) That Overview and Scrutiny Management Board members are provided with the training and information to enable them to provide effective scrutiny and oversight of the equalities agenda at the Council in order to ensure the best equalities outcomes are obtained for both residents and Council employees.
Supporting documents: