Equality and Diversity
The Single Equality Scheme
The Council recognises that some people might suffer
discrimination and be disadvantaged for many reasons,
including:
- race, nationality or ethnic origin
- religion or belief
- disability
- age
- gender
- sexual orientation
- income
- geographic location
The Council therefore replaced its Equal Opportunities Policy
with a Single
Equality Scheme 
(256K) (SES) in 2008. The SES sets out our
commitment and responsibility to promote equality of opportunity
and good community relations, and to tackle all forms of
discrimination. The SES is thorough, and recognises that
discrimination can occur when we:
- provide services
- purchase services
- employ staff
- work in partnership with other organisations
The SES has its own Action Plan which sets out how we are going
to undertake the work required.
In addition to our proposed actions, Wyre Forest District
Council will use the Equality
Framework for Local Government to help us achieve excellence.
The Framework is designed to help us identify and remove any
barriers to services which our customers or staff might experience.
This will ensure that everyone has equal access to services and
information.
When we talk about diversity, we mean more than just race and
nationality. A diverse population encompasses different
religions and beliefs, ages, disabilities, gender and sexual
orientation, as well as race. These are known politically as
the six strands of equality.
Wyre Forest District Council has both a moral and a statutory
obligation to reflect the needs of a diverse population through its
service provision and as an employer. We are committed to
employing a diverse workforce and providing equitable services to
the people of the Wyre Forest district. Our aim is to fully
meet our obligations and to learn from best practice, as we strive
to improve as a local authority.
Diversity is about recognising and valuing difference so it’s
important to ask “what makes Wyre Forest unique?” Although we
don’t have a large number of different ethnic minority communities
(currently 3.1% of the population) in Wyre Forest, there are many
other factors that make our communities diverse. These
include:
- the higher than average number of elderly
people in the district
- the hotspots of relative deprivation that exist
as well as rural isolation
- the presence of Gypsies and Traveller
communities
- the lower than average number of young people
in the district
- the higher than average number of adults not
working in the district
To tackle these issues we need to be aware of the problems
facing our communities and look at how we can tackle these through
our service delivery and working with others.
Our Single
Equality Scheme (256K) was agreed in
2008. It pulls together the various strands of equalities and
places these together into a single framework. It sets
out our approach to diversity on three levels: within the council;
in the way we engage with and understand the needs of our
communities; and in the way we deliver our services.
We recognise that everyone is different but this doesn’t mean
that people should be disadvantaged as a result. And we will
not discriminate in any way according to people's age, disability,
ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation.
Further information on our equality
schemes:
View our
Equality and Diversity Policy (130K)
View our
Single Equality Scheme 2008 - 2011 (256K)
View the
Equality Framework for Local Government
Further Information
Contact the:
Equality and Diversity Officer
Telephone: 01562 732 773 - between 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday to
Friday
