Issue - meetings

    Report by Executive Director Terence Herbert.

Cllr Richard Clewer – Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Heritage, Arts, Tourism, Housing and MCI, presented a report which (i) provided evidence to Cabinet that Wiltshire Council is meeting its obligations under the Public Sector Equality duty (PSED) through the Annual Report 2019; (ii) that Wiltshire Council needs to achieve to further the aims of the PSED, through the Objectives and Action Plan 2019-22; and (iii)  to note the achievements demonstrated in the Annual Report, and to recommend the new Equality Objectives 2019-22 to Full Council.

Cllr Clewer thanked the Council’s Corporate Support Manager for preparing the Annual Report 2019 and objectives 2019-22 and commented on the five new objectives for 2019-22. He also indicated that for the purposes of the action plan, references to Black and Minority Ethnic residents also included Gypsy, Roma and Travellers and people of different religions who may experience discrimination.

Cllr Graham Wright, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee reported that the Committee had considered and noted the Annual Report 2019 and new objectives, and welcomed the recommendations contained in the officer report. 

Cllr Allison Bucknell, Cabinet Member for Communications, Communities, Leisure and Libraries, in her role as Equalities Champion, welcomed the report and indicated that a vast amount of good work was being undertaken in the County which needed to be communicated to a wider audience.

Resolved: 

1.    To note the contents of the annual report and approve for publishing on the council’s website.

2.    To note the action plan and approve the direction of travel for the council’s diversity and inclusion agenda.

3.    To recommend Full Council to adopt the Equality & Inclusion Objectives (The Corporate Equality Plan).

4.    To encourage all elected members to complete the Equality and Diversity e-learning module that is currently mandatory for staff.

Reason for Decision:

Wiltshire Council has a statutory duty to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty. The proposal ensures that Cabinet are aware of the work being done to achieve compliance and are in agreement with the direction of travel.