Issue - decisions

Formal Adoption of Equality Impact Assessments

20/01/2012 - Formal Adoption of Equality Impact Assessments

A report by the Chief Executive informed that as part of the Equality Duty 2010, which came into full force in April 2011, the Council had a legal requirement to give due regard to the impact of its policies and decisions on people who shared protected characteristics (race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion/belief, gender re-assignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity).

 

As part of the Independent Corporate Governance Review report, AKA highlighted ‘shortfalls in the way the Council evaluated the impact of its policies both prior to execution and in response to evidence about the impact’.  Subsequently the report identified ‘Equalities’ as an area for improvement.

 

RESOLVED:  That

 

(1)  the formal adoption of Equality Impact Assessments be adopted as the Council’s process for giving due regard to the impact of its policies and decisions;

 

(2)  all Chief Officers, Heads of Service and Departmental Managers receive mandatory Equality Impact Assessment training;

 

(3)  all Committee reports include a hyperlink to completed equality impact assessments on the Council website;

 

(4)  all completed Equality Impact Assessments are signed off by the appropriate Head of Service, prior to publishing; and

 

(5)  members of the Learning Disability Board be thanked for their work on this important initiative.