Agenda item

To submit a report by the Director of Function (Council Business)/Monitoring Officer.

The report of the Director of Function (Council Business)/Monitoring Officer incorporating the Draft Strategic Equality Plan for 2024-28 was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Councillor Llinos Medi, Leader, and Portfolio Member for Economic Development presented the Plan as setting out how the Council will fulfil the duty placed on public bodies in the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulation 2011 to give due regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation, advancing equality of opportunity, and fostering good relations between different groups in every aspect of its work. The Plan is ambitious and aims to ensure that equality is integrated into all aspects of the Council’s business.

The Head of Democracy referred to the eight long-term equality objectives for strengthening and advancing equality on Anglesey and within the Council contained in the plan which are broadly based on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s areas of life for monitoring equality. The Plan also contains arrangements for monitoring the Council’s progress towards achieving its equality objectives and additionally, it contributes to the wider vision of the Council Plan of creating a healthy and prosperous Anglesey where people can thrive.

The Policy and Welsh Language Manager confirmed that the Plan had been influenced by direct engagement with some protected groups including the Youth Forum, Mencap Môn and day care provision users. One of the main developments from implementing the Plan is the emphasis on how the Council as an employer uses its influence to promote equality throughout the organisation. The Council’s internal structures will be reviewed to strengthen this capability and a new equality, diversity and inclusion group with cross service representation will be established.

Councillor Dylan Rees, Chair of the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee provided feedback from the Committee’s 18 January 2024 meeting at which the Draft Strategic Equality Plan for 2024-28 had been scrutinised and he referred to the issues discussed at that meeting and confirmed that the Committee had recommended the Plan to the Executive whilst also asking that consideration be given to amending the title of Equality Objective 2 (Work) to offer clarity on the Council’s role as an employer.

The Policy and Welsh Language Manager confirmed that the Equality Objective 2 had been reframed to specify the “Workplace”.

The Executive’s members welcomed the draft Strategic Plan as timely in a climate of social tensions and as integral to everything that the Council does including its services and employment practices. Acknowledging that being able to achieve the eight equality objectives in the current economic climate had been a concern of Scrutiny, the Executive noted that the Council’s vision conveyed in the Council Plan is to create an Anglesey that is healthy and prosperous where people can thrive and it was emphasised that people and communities can only thrive by ensuring equality of opportunity for everyone and by having regard to the needs of all groups within society equally hence the importance of the Plan in providing a framework for that to happen. Several Executive Members referred to their engagement with Mencap Môn and to the value of listening to the views of individuals whose voices are not always heard. Reference was also made in the context of equality objective 5 relating to personal security to the well documented increase in hate crimes and it was asked in clarification of the Council’s position by whom these crimes are dealt with.

The Policy and Welsh Language Manager confirmed that the Police are responsible for dealing with incidents of hate crime and she advised also that there is a local authority resource in the form of a Regional Community Cohesion Officer who is based within the Council who works across Anglesey, Conwy, and Gwynedd as well as liaising with the Police on matters of community cohesion and awareness.

It was resolved to recommend to Full Council that the draft Strategic Equality Plan for 2024-28 be approved and that Officers be authorised in consultation with the Portfolio Holder to complete and publish the Plan by 31 March 2024.