Equality & Diversity
We believe that equality and diversity is all
about focussing on the needs of all our communities irrespective of
their background, whilst also taking care to ensure that we do not
in any way discriminate against our communities or our staff.
Whilst this makes good business sense
for us we also recognise that we are required by law to
ensure that we:
- Eliminate unlawful
discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other unacceptable
conduct;
- Advance equality of
opportunity between people who share a protected
characteristic (these are: age,disability, gender
reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief,
sex and sexual orientation and marriage or civil partnership
status) and those who do not; and
- Foster good relations
between people who share a protected characteristic and those who
do not
To ensure we meet our legal requirements
we have formally committed to challenging all forms of
discrimination, to promoting equality of opportunity and to working
to create good community relations.
We know that we have a diverse community.
Almost 30% of our communities are aged over 60; 3% are from
an ethnic minority background; almost 20% have a limiting long term
illness. We also have a number of residents who practice
faiths other than Christianity.
We also recognise that disadvantage can
be a reality for some residents who may experience inequality of
opportunity in many areas of their lives.
We recognise the social and economic benefits
from promoting equality of opportunity and valuing diversity, and
are committed to working hard to deliver these benefits within
Malvern Hills.
We will do this through:
- Setting ourselves clear
objectives and targets and arrangements that show how we
tackle equality and diversity;
- Appointing elected member
“champions” who have specific responsibility to monitor the
Council’s progress;
- A working group of
elected members, officers and trades union representatives who meet
regularly to drive improvement;
- A programme to assess
how we can improve services to meet all needs;
- Working with key partners to
promote equality of opportunity;
- Community forums to
determine need;
- Training for all elected
members and staff; and
- Communicating details of
achievements.
We hope that through these actions Malvern
Hills District Council will become a better service provider,
community leader and employer.
Click on the following link
to view our Single Equality Scheme, which gives further information
on the Council’s approach to Equality & Diversity.
Equality Impact Assessments
What are Equality Impact Assessments?
It’s a tool for identifying the potential impact of our
policies, services and functions on our residents and staff.
Why are they carried out?
- Identifies barriers to accessing our services
- Enables action to overcome these barriers
- Ensures our services reflect the needs of our customers
Please see below for Equality Impact Assessments the Council
has carried out:
Our Workforce
The Council is also committed to delivering equality of opportunity
and addressing discrimination in its role an employer.The People
& Pay Strategy & the Workforce Plan detail this commitment
(see below for links to the documents).
