Equality Information Report January 2021 During this year, which has brought us challenges like no other, there is one thing that has remained strong – and that is our compassion for each other. Everyone in Swindon has pulled together to provide practical assistance and emotional support in so many different and creative ways, some of which you will hear about later. On behalf of all our residents and the Council, I’d like to express our upmost gratitude for the efforts of our employees, community groups and volunteers, who have worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone in Swindon is safe and cared for. We are so proud and grateful for everything you are doing for us all. While the recent months have shown us so many examples of community spirit and generosity, we also realise there will be longer-term implications of Covid-19 on our community, which we need to manage together. Covid-19 has been shown to exacerbate existing societal inequalities (Institute for Fiscal Studies). Therefore, it is even more important that we focus our efforts on promoting equality and inclusion in Swindon, to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or life experience, has the opportunity to flourish and achieve their full potential. At Swindon Borough Council, our vision is: “Equality, diversity and inclusion is simply about the way we work. It supports our thinking and our actions; it is embedded into everything we do.” This principle still stands – but you, our residents, have rightly challenged us to go further. In our community equality event in February, you told us you wanted us to focus more on what brings us together – fostering our compassion, sense of community and learning from each other. We are listening. In response to this, we are collectively refreshing our equality vision and our action plans, to reflect what you are asking from us. We are enhancing our community and employee engagement, so your voices shape our strategy. Please read more about how you can get involved in this report and, if you aren’t already, I personally invite you to join us in building a more equal and compassionate Swindon together. As your Lead Member for Equalities, I am honoured to work with you in driving forward the equality agenda in Swindon, building on some of the fantastic work that has taken place over the last year. Councillor Robert Jandy ‘By 2030, Swindon will have all of the positive characteristics of a British city with one of the UK’s most successful economies; a low-carbon environment with compelling cultural, retail and leisure opportunities and excellent infrastructure. It will be a model of well managed housing growth that supports and improves new and existing communities. Swindon will be physically transformed with existing heritage and landmarks complemented by new ones that people who live, work and visit here would recognise and admire. It will remain, at heart, a place of fairness and opportunity where people can aspire to and achieve prosperity, supported by strong civic and community leadership. Equality, diversity and inclusion principles run throughout everything we do as a council. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010, which legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), a key measure within the Act, ensures that public bodies consider the needs of all individuals in their day to day work – in shaping policy, in delivering services, and in relation to their own employees. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to: Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. The protected characteristics, covered within the Public Sector Equality Duty are: Carers and current or former military personnel are protected under the Equality Act 2010 by ‘association’ and/or ‘perception’, rather than being protected characteristics in their own right. Children in Care and Care Leavers At Swindon Borough Council, we have added an additional category of Children in Care and Care Leavers for equality assessment purposes within our Diversity Impact Assessment process. While Children in Care and Care Leavers are not specifically covered within the Equality Act 2010, we wish for them to be considered as a protected group to ensure that additional attention is given, in all our projects and services, to how their needs can be met to provide greater opportunities and improve their outcomes. Swindon Borough Council’s equality objectives are focused around two key commitments, which are: 1. Commitments for an inclusive workplace Objective: To have the most diverse workforce we can Objective: SBC is an inclusive employer which supports employee wellbeing Objective: Continuing to meet our legal requirements in employment policy, practice and arrangements 2. Commitments for inclusive service delivery Objective: Support the implementation of the policy with robust training Objective: All employees are aware of the policy, strategy commitments and practical implementation Next year, the Council will be updating its equality vision, objectives and action plans, with your support, to ensure that they reflect your priorities and needs. Many of you who attended our community engagement event in February have already shared with us your insights and reflections. We are very grateful for your feedback, which has already been shaping the work that has been taking place. This is an ongoing piece of work, so if you would still like to contribute, your involvement is very welcome! There will be further opportunities to be involved, particularly through the work of the Swindon Equality Coalition – we’d like to hear from you! Contact Swindon Equality Coalition at [email protected] This year has provided the Council with the opportunity to review its working model and structures for equality, diversity and inclusion, to ensure they are fit for purpose. We have shifted to a more dynamic and empowering model, with a focus on community and employee voices to shape our priorities and actions, as below: Equality Advisory Group Strategic level (Cabinet Member Advisory Group) Swindon Service Area Altogether Equality Operational/tactical level reps Coalition SBC Employees Community Insights and contributions Membership of the Equality Advisory Group has also been revisited, with a new approach of having more flexible community representation at meetings, based on the topics and themes being discussed. This enables greater participation and a wider range of perspectives to be shared. A Diversity Impact Assessment (DIA) is a tool used to ensure all decisions and actions made by the council are considered through an equality lens and that “due regard” is given to all nine protected characteristics. Through systematically reviewing evidence, data and best practice, opportunities are identified to further promote equality, as well as to mitigate for potential negative impact and prevent unlawful discrimination. Diversity Impact Assessments for Cabinet decisions are published on the council’s website. This year, we’ve established a pool of trained, volunteer Community DIA Reviewers, who are kindly giving up their time and expertise to ensure that our DIAs are high quality, evidence-based and that all equality considerations have been made. Their involvement has highlighted new information and feedback, which has been incorporated into process or service changes to further promote equality of opportunity and inclusion across everything we do as a council. A huge thank you to our DIA reviewers! If you’d like to support this activity yourself by becoming a Community DIA reviewer, please contact [email protected]. The collection and analysis of equality information is vital to ensure we are providing inclusive, accessible services for all our residents. This data is used to understand needs, inform evidence-based decision-making for services and in reviewing our performance. This statistical data is used alongside pro-active engagement within our community, with residents and service-users to understand experiences and gain direct feedback on proposals. Census data captures equality information across Swindon and can be geographically broken down into areas of approximately 500 households, to gain a greater understanding of local needs. There has been significant population growth since the last census and not all protected characteristics are covered; therefore this data is used alongside other national and local sources held within service areas. Census March 2021 – we need you! The census is a survey that happens once per decade and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. All kinds of organisations, from the council to charities, use the information to help provide the services we all need, including transport, education and healthcare. Without the census information, it would be much more difficult to do this. This year, the census will be digital and accessible on any device. The Office for National Statistics will be in touch nearer the time to let you know what you need to do. If you need any support to access or complete the census, this is available online, over the phone or in person. The census categories have also been broadened this year, so that everyone can identify as they wish. Some questions are voluntary; however the more information you can provide, the more it will help our local organisations to design services and allocate funding to meet needs. By taking part in the census, you’ll be helping make sure you and our community of Swindon get the services needed now and in the future. Thank you! As an organisation we capture equality information about our employees when they join the Council.