Equality Office Update

The Equality Office continues to lead and coordinate the implementation of the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty (The Duty) across all departments. Over recent months, significant progress has been made in embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles into everyday operations, ensuring that our policies, services, and decisionmaking processes actively promote fairness and respect for all.

A key focus of the Equality Office has been the roll-out of ‘The Duty’ Implementation Plan, which sets out clear objectives and accountability measures for departments. Each service area is now developing tailored equality actions aligned with the Council’s wider strategic priorities. The Equality Office is supporting this through capacity building from within the Council to build understanding and confidence in meeting our statutory obligations. In parallel, we are working collaboratively across departments on a range of accessibility projects and programmes.

This includes the development of a Council-wide Access Strategy, which will provide a consistent framework for improving physical, digital, and service accessibility across all facilities and platforms. Engagement with staff, community groups, and disability advocates is helping to ensure that the strategy is inclusive and responsive to real-world needs.

Ongoing Equality Office initiatives include:

• Staff training on equality, human rights, and inclusive practice across an array of subjects and areas.
• Accessible communications projects, improving the readability and accessibility of public information across print and digital channels.
• Inclusive consultations, ensuring diverse voices are represented in policy and service development through better outreach and alternative formats.
• Inclusive recruitment and mobility, reviewing procedures to remove barriers and support greater diversity at all levels of the organisation.

These initiatives are part of our ongoing commitment to creating a Council that not only meets its legal equality duties but actively champions inclusion and human rights. As we move forward, we will continue to monitor progress, share learning, and work collaboratively to ensure that equality, accessibility, and human rights are at the heart of everything we do.