Equality Action Plan 2023-2027
Equality Action Plan 2023 - 2027
This Action Plan has been developed following a cross cutting audit of the impact of the Causeway Coast and Glens Council work on the nine equality group categories.
The approach has led us to appreciate the diversity of approaches across the council services to meet the needs of different equality groups. We have included links to higher level strategies which address equality and diversity related issues rather than itemise a range of actions.
The action plan addresses the need for council to create a corporate approach to equality and diversity issues across all business planning areas.
Strategic Priorities
P1: Cohesive Leadership
P3: Improvement and Innovation
P4: Healthy and Engaged Communities
P5: Climate Change and Our Environment
Action Ref: A - Cohesive Leadership
Issue Identified: 1. Foster deep-rooted equality and inclusion
Desired outcome(s): Section 75 duties integrated and mainstreamed into business planning processes
Actions embedding:
• Equality training for all Elected Members.
• Identification of a suite of equality related training for Elected Members
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Policy / Equality
.
• Role of Diversity Ambassador reinvigorated within Council.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: SLT, Diversity Ambassador, Equality
• All service areas to identify at least one equality or inclusion action in yearly business plans.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: All areas
• Review, source and install a new policy system which supports best practice sharing, notification of review timescales and training.
Timescale: 2023
Responsibility: ICT & Policy / Equality
Issue Identified: 2. Need to tackle both persistent and emerging inequalities in a strategic manner.
Desired outcome(s): Improved awareness and understanding of inequalities and the potential impact of decision-making on each Section 75 category.
Actions embedding:
• Corporate consultations include specific equality of opportunity and good relations questions.
• Quarterly email sent to each Head of Service asking them to share inequalities which have been identified in their area.
• Emerging inequalities to be reviewed by Senior Leadership Team.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Corporate Performance
Desired outcome(s): Compliance with Equality, Disability and Rural needs legislation
Actions embedding:
• Quarterly reminders to review and undertake both equality screening and rural needs assessment exercises for all new policies or changes to services.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Policy / Equality
Action Ref: B. Improvement and Innovation
Issue Identified: 1. Addressing Access Barriers
Desired outcome(s): Creation of an accessible environment for staff and customers
Actions embedding:
• Raise awareness that Every Customer Counts audit and action plans should be reviewed on a yearly basis.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Policy / Equality
• Undertake a consultation process to identify barriers to service inclusion across all service areas.
Timescale: 2024
Responsibility: Corporate Performance
• Review and identify options for teenager activity/socialisation in the borough.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Review access to Leisure Centres across all Section 75 equality groupings.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Investment in play parks to support inclusion in rural areas.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Ensure all Council run events have changing places toilet provision.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Events
• Publication of a schedule relating to Councils mobile changing places toilet.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Town Centre Partnership & Policy / Equality
• Identify support for people living with disabilities to gain work experience and valuable skills through Council.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Labour Market Partnership / OD/HR
• Extend the current provision of Easy Read documents across Council.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: All Areas
• Continued provision of subtitled online videos across all Council social media platforms.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: All Areas
• Review and identify options paper for Marina accessibility.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Infrastructure
• Identify barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ community.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: All Areas
Action Ref: B. Improvement and Innovation
Issue Identified: 2. Identify service improvements
Desired outcome(s): Improved service accessibility for staff and customers
Actions embedding:
• Review and identify targeted actions to encourage younger applicants for positions in Council.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: OD/HR
Desired outcome(s): Compliance with Equality, Disabiltiy and Rural Needs legislation
Actions embedding:
• Transfer the Corporate website to a more stable platform to support increased accessibility.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: ICT
• Raise understanding through education about Hate Crime in our borough.
Timescale: 2023
Responsibility: Good Relations
• Undertake a review of car parking provision in Council owned car parks, relating to accessible parking.
Timescale: 2024/2027
Responsibility: Infrastructure
• Increase the number of changing places toilets in the borough by 2.
Timescale: 2024/2027
Responsibility: Infrastructure
• Undertake a review of accessibility at Household Recycling Centres
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Operations
• Undertake a review of accessibility of Public Conveniences and analysis of provision
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Operations
• Undertake a review of refuse collection services including communication of collection day changes
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Operations
• Reintroduction of ‘Just a Minute’ (JAM) Awareness Training to Council staff.
Timescale: 2024/2025
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing / OD/HR
• Introduce an additional training module on supporting individuals with disabilities relating to the recruitment process.
Timescale: 2023/2027
Responsibility: OD/HR
• Ensure all consultation programmes are filtered through the Equality Forum, Youth Voice and Age-friendly Forum.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: All Areas
• Identify the feasibility of leisure centre concessions for older people.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Provision of premises mapping to meet the needs of Neurodiverse service users. Pilot in Leisure Centres and then spread out across Council.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing / Estates
• Identify the feasibility of GIS to link budget spending in the borough to areas. Thereby supporting transparent budget spending and Elected Member decision making.
Timescale: 2027
Responsibility: GIS / Senior Leadership Team
• Develop a trans equality Corporate policy for Elected Members decision.
Timescale: 2024/2025
Responsibility: Policy / Equality
• Improve accessibility for sign language and hearing-impaired users.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Improve access through visual signage.
Timescale: 2024
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Achieve Autism Impact award at 3 Main Leisure Sites.
Timescale: 2024
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Introduce a Changing Places facility to Megaw Park, Ballymoney.
Timescale: 2026
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Develop a cycle hire scheme to increase usage and further develop inclusive cycling.
Timescale: 2026
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Work towards becoming an Autism Friendly Borough.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing / All areas
• Implement actions from the Local Government Mental Well Being Strategy.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: OD/HR
• Review Special Leave Policy to include Bereavement.
Timescale: 2025/2026
Responsibility: OD/HR
• Identify mechanisms to support and improve employment skills for individuals within Section 75 groups.
Timescale: 2024/2027
Responsibility: OD/HR
Action Ref: - C Healthy and Engaged Communication
Issue Identified: 1 Improving Data held in Council
Desired outcome(s): Decision-making based on clear data
Actions embedding:
• Identify mechanisms to improve Elected Member data with regards to the Section 75 groupings.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Corporate Services
• Identify mechanisms to improve workforce specific data with regards to the Section 75 groupings.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: OD/HR
• Review options for data sharing across Council.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Policy & Community Planning
• Review of data collection systems to ensure options for LGBTQIA+ community are supported.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
• Audit refusal and acceptance rates of OD/HR family-friendly suite of policies.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: OD/HR / External Auditor
• Develop a data base of condition surveys for all assets to better prioritise repairs and maintenance work.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Estates
• Measure performance against other NI Councils – Association of Public Sector Excellence.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: All Areas
• Identify Health and Safety Issues which could impact on service provision and develop a repair schedule.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Estates
• Map all private water supplies on GIS to improve efficiency in response times.
Timescale: 2023
Responsibility: Health and Built Environment
• Move towards digitisation of full plan building control applications – support the digitisation of 10% in 2024.
Timescale: 2024
Responsibility: Health and Built Environment
• Map and forecast coastal management.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Marinas
• GIS map sports clubs in the borough.
Timescale: 2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
Action Ref: - C Healthy and Engaged Communication
Issue Identified: 2 Improved consultation
Desired outcome(s):
Consultation process reach all groups including those harder to reach groupings.
Compliance with Equality, Disability and Rural needs legislation
• Ensure all consultation programmes are filtered through the Equality Forum, Youth Voice and Age-friendly Forum.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: All Areas
• Review supportive operational protocols in the Estates operations section.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Operations
• Continued business and visitor consultation using the Town Centre Forum.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Town & Village Management
• Undertake membership exit surveys to identify underlying issues.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
Action Ref: - D Climate Change and our Environment
Issue Identified: 1 Improved feelings of safety for all Section 75 Groups
Desired outcome(s): Citizens and Visitors increased access to natural environments
• Programme to address anti-social behaviour in our borough.
Timescale: 2023-2024
Responsibility: PCSP
• Educate staff about hate crime.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: GR, PCSP, OD/HR, Equality
• Complete LED lighting replacement within identified Car parks.
Timescale: 2024-2027
Responsibility: Energy
Action Ref: - D Climate Change and our Environment
Issue Identified: 2 Improve service provision for hard to reach and Section 75 Groups
Desired outcome(s): Citizens and Visitors increased access to natural environments
• Engage young people in non-traditional sporting activities.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Good Relations
• Provide Cultural Competency training for schools.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Good Relations
• Deliver a community arts programme of events/projects which increases engagement in the arts across Section 75 groups.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Arts
• Deliver a museums programme of events/projects which increases engagement in the arts across Section 75 groups.
Timescale: 2023-2027
Responsibility: Museums
• Develop, implement and facilitate a 5-year Age Friendly Strategy Action Plan in partnership with relevant organisations and delivery partners.
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Sport & Wellbeing
Action Ref: - D Climate Change and our Environment
Issue Identified: 3 Protecting our Environment
Desired outcome(s): Reduced parking ticket litter
• Cashless transactions to be increased via marketing to 30% of all carparking transactions. This will support all Section 75 Groups and their future environment.
Timescale: 2025
Responsibility: Car parking
Desired outcome(s): Work towards Net Zero energy (Meet NI 2050 Net Zero targets)
• Develop a range of energy reducing programmes to reduce consumption in Council and offset carbon discharge
Timescale: 2023/2024
Responsibility: Energy