Equality Standards for Local Government
HBC
________________________________________________________________
Equality Standards for Local
Government
A report on the current status of Hyndburn Borough Council with
recommendations to make further progress in relation to the Equality Standards
for Local Government
August 2007
Report Compiled for: Hyndburn Borough Council
Report Compiled by: Pradeep Passi, Profocus Potential Ltd
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Equality Standards for Local Government
HBC
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Contents
Introduction and Background…………………………………………3
Methodology………………………………………………………………4
Outcomes…………………………………………………………………..5
Service Commitments to be made in Service Plans………………12
Conclusions and way forward…………………………………………13
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Equality Standards for Local Government
HBC
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Hyndburn Borough Council
Equality Standards for Local Government
Current Position and Recommendations for Moving Forward
August 2007
Introduction and Background
The Equality Standards for Local Government (ESLG) were launched in 2001.
The Standards have been developed primarily as a tool to enable local
authorities to mainstream equality in relation to age, disability, gender, race,
religion or belief and sexual orientation into council policy and practice at all
levels. There are five levels to the Standard with level one being the first level
and level five being the highest.
The levels go through the following stages
Level 1: Commitment to a Comprehensive Equality Policy
Level 2: Assessment and community engagement
Level 3: Setting equality objectives and targets
Level 4: Information systems and monitoring against targets
Level 5: Achieving and reviewing outcomes
Hyndburn Borough Council (HBC) has recently adopted a Single Equality
Scheme and wishes to build on this by engaging further with the ESLG in order to
embed equality and diversity into all that the Council does.
The Council has self assessed itself as being at level one of the ESLG and
wishes to make further progress.
Profocus Potential Ltd have been commissioned by the Council to ascertain the
Councils current position in relation to the ESLG and to make recommendations
in order to assist the Council to move to levels 2 and 3.
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Equality Standards for Local Government
HBC
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Methodology
The ESLG (upto level 3 ) was used to benchmark the Council’s position through
a process of reviewing existing documentation and by interviewing key personnel
about practice within services.
The following documents were reviewed
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Single Equality Scheme
Draft Recruitment Policy and Code of Practice
Equality Impact Assessment and Toolkit
Equal Opportunities Strategy Document
The following Personnel were interviewed.
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Cathy Kierans - Snr Marketing & Communications Officer
Gill Barton - Economic Development Manager
Simon Prideaux - Chief Planning & Transportation Officer
Steve Todd - Chief Environmental Services Officer
Joe McIntyre - Executive Director
Michael Walker - Corporate Performance Manager
Steve Tanti - Deputy Managing Director
David Welsby - Managing Director
Scott Butterfield - Principal Policy & Research Officer
Bernadette Mullen - Head of HR
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Equality Standards for Local Government
HBC
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Outcomes
Following consideration of all the evidence and through discussions with key
personnel, HBC is engaging with the actions required of level 1, but in some
areas this work needs to be more explicit in how they link to the ESLG. The
Council should strengthen its level 1 status by engaging with the actions
identified below.
The Council has some further work to do in order to be in a position to claim level
2 of the ESLG and there is a considerable amount of work to be done before
claiming level 3.
Actions Required to Strengthen Level 1 Position
Leadership and Corporate Commitment
Action
Formulate and adopt a
Comprehensive Equality Policy
(CEP) for the authority covering
race, gender, disability, sexual
orientation, age and
religion/belief
Include a checklist in the
equality impact assessment
toolkit proforma to ensure
compliance with legislation and
Codes of Practice when
conducting Equality Impact
Assessments
Responsibility
HBC/PP

Make a commitment to
developing a Corporate Equality
Scheme (CES) indicating how
the CEP will be implemented.
The Single Equality Scheme
(SES) can be incorporated in the
CES
HBC

There should be a corporate
commitment to identify and
earmark resources for
development of equality work
and development of the CEP
HBC
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
PP
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Equality Standards for Local Government
HBC
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Community Engagement and Accountability

Action
A commitment should be made
to formalise consultation
strategies in the format of a
Corporate Participation Strategy
Responsibility
HBC

Make a commitment to ensure
that the CEP and CES are
consulted on within all service
areas
HBC
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Service plans to include
commitments to processes of
equality self-assessment,
scrutiny and audit on its service
delivery.
HBC/PP

A review of strategies drawn up
with partner agencies should
take place to ensure that
Equality themes are explicitly
included in all local strategies
drawn up by the authority and its
partners.
HBC
Service Delivery and Customer Care
Action
Once the CEP has been
developed to include specific
commitments to achieve CEP
objectives in Service Plans
Responsibility
HBC/PP

Make commitment to equality
action planning within service
areas
HBC/PP

Service plans to include
commitments to processes of
HBC/PP

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Equality Standards for Local Government
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equality self-assessment,
scrutiny and audit on its service
delivery.

Each service to explicitly include
commitment to allocate specific
resources for improving equality
practice
HBC/PP
Employment
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Action
Adopt Recruitment Policy to
ensure that it incorporates nondiscriminatory procedures
Responsibility
HBC
Ensure that in the revised
recruitment policy that issues
relating to publicity are included
HBC
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Equality Standards for Local Government
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Action required to achieve Level 2
Leadership and Corporate Commitment

Action
Further links need to be
made between the Single
Equality Scheme and the
Comprehensive Equality
Policy
Responsibility
HBC/PP

Establish time limited
Corporate equality
planning and scrutiny
group
HBC/PP

Develop corporate
framework for equality
consultation and
guidance.
HBC
Community Engagement and Accountability
Action
Once Corporate Equality
Scheme has been
developed to consult
appropriate groups
 Develop corporate
systems for consulting
with equality target
groups
 To involve members,
employee
representatives,
department and service
managers people in the
process through
conducting
 equality impact
assessments and through

Responsibility
HBC
HBC
HBC
HBC
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Equality Standards for Local Government
HBC
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the corporate equality
planning and scrutiny
group.
HBC
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Involve appropriate
people and groups in the
equality impact
assessments
Council should develop
appropriate scrutiny
procedures by community
stakeholders
Review contracts and
agreements to ensure
that equality objectives
are included in
contractual agreements
HBC
HBC
Service Delivery and Customer Care

Action
Complete High Priority
equality impact
assessments
Responsibility
HBC

Following completion of
impact assessments
begin to develop specific
objectives to be included
in service plans
HBC

Review procurement
function to ensure that it
appropriately addresses
equality issues
HBC

Each service area to
establish an equalities
group or to incorporate
self assessment and
scrutiny within existing
service level committees
HBC
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Equality Standards for Local Government
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Employment
Action
Conduct an employment
equality assessment of
the local labour market
Responsibility
HBC

Once work has been
completed on the Local
Government Workforce
Strategy to adopt the
strategy
HBC

To revise and adopt the
recruitment policy
HBC

Review personnel
Information for equality
monitoring suitability
HBC

Ensure that outcomes
from EIAs are included in
policies
HBC

Achieving Level 3
HBC has a considerable amount of work to do in order to achieve level 3 of the
ESLG. In order to claim level 3 it must have implemented the following:
A strategy for participation of designated community, staff and stakeholder
groups in setting objectives of employment and service delivery

Set equality objectives across the authority for race, gender and disability
for employment, pay and service delivery based on impact assessments
and participation strategy

By March 2008 it has set equality objectives across the authority for
sexual orientation, age, religion or belief for employment, pay and service
delivery based on impact assessment and participation strategy
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Equality Standards for Local Government
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
Equality objectives have been translated into action plans with specific
targets

Developed information and monitoring systems that allow it to assess
progress in achieving targets

Action on achieving targets has started

Progress has been verified through self-assessment and scrutiny and has
been validated externally through an accredited assessor
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Equality Standards for Local Government
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Specific Commitments to be made in Service Plans
The following Commitments should be explicitly included in Service Plans

Service plans to include commitments to processes of equality selfassessment, scrutiny and audit on its service delivery.

Make commitment to equality action planning within service areas

Each service to explicitly include commitment to allocate specific
resources for improving equality practice

Once CEP has been developed to include specific commitments in
service Plans

Each service area to establish an equalities group or to incorporate
self assessment and scrutiny within existing service level
committees
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Equality Standards for Local Government
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Conclusions and Way Forward
Hyndburn Borough Council has made considerable progress in its equalities work
over the last 12 months. From a standing start it has adopted a Single Equality
Scheme, established an equality impact assessment toolkit, prioritised functions
and policies to conduct equality impact assessments on and appointed a
Consultant to assist it progress through the Equality Standards for Local
Government.
In order to strengthen its level one position HBC should adopt the actions
identified above. As most of the actions are Commitments Officers should take
these actions either to CMT or Cabinet to seek formal approval and therefore
Commitment to the actions.
Also although HBC does have an Equality Strategy it is now outdated and HBC
needs to adopt a Comprehensive Equality Policy and Plan in order to underpin its
equality work.
In relation to achieving level 2, although the Council has some work to do in order
claim level 2, by taking a systematic approach this may be achieved by March
2008. The key actions in achieving level 2 are implementing equality impact
assessments.
Achieving level 3 of the ESLG is achievable all be it with longer timescales and
providing that solid foundations can be established by achieving level 2 of the
ESLG. It is recommended that a timescale of March 2009 is set to achieve level 3
of the ESLG.
The key actions that should take place immediately
1. Formulate and adopt a Comprehensive Equality Policy
2. The Council should explicitly commit to issues raised in Level 1 through
the Cabinet
3. Establish a Corporate Equality Planning and Scrutiny Group to include
members from each party, HR Director, Executive Director and senior
representatives from each service. The terms of reference for the group
should be aligned to making progress through the ESLG. A separate
paper will be drafted outlining the specific remit of the group.
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