Ensuring no-one is left behind is the guiding principle for everything we do and this underpins our commitments on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). We will be delivering a radical agenda for EDI so the council can become a more diverse and inclusive organisation bringing strength through difference.
For residents, this means engaging with them in different ways so all voices are heard, which will help us better understand the causes of inequality and act to tackle them. For our staff, this means creating a workplace where they feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work and where difference is valued so people's different perspectives will help address the challenges we face.
A greater focus on EDI will be transformative for residents and staff. We want to remove barriers and level the playing field to make it easier for people to engage with the council and be able to access the services they need. We will target our resources effectively to support the most disadvantaged, re-design services in a smarter way to ensure they are inclusive and accessible to all, and develop a workforce that is more empathetic to the diverse needs of residents.
Our four equality objectives for 2021 to 2026
To support the priority objectives we set in our Organisation Strategy 2021 to 2026, we have agreed four equality objectives:
- Tackle economic inequality and disparity through ensuring that everyone has the education and skills they need and that the infrastructure of the county is accessible, so that all residents are able to access the jobs, homes and transport needed to share in the benefits of growth.
- Work to close the county's healthy life expectancy gap by focusing our resources on children and adults who need our services most so they can be healthy, independent and thrive.
- Work with communities, through our new local engagement model, to make it easier for all residents to participate in local democracy, service design and decision-making.
- Deliver a radical work programme to strengthen the diversity of our workforce and move to a culture that values difference, where all staff feel they belong and have opportunities to succeed.