Equalities Scheme and Corporate Equality Action Plan

Introduction

This is the Council’s first overarching Equalities Scheme, which sets out the vision, framework and strategy, which the Council has to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equal opportunities for all people. Particular groups of people may experience disadvantage, discrimination and exclusion for a variety of reasons, relating to their race, ethnicity, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion or socio economic status. The Equalities Scheme and Corporate Equality and Diversity Action Plan explain what we intend to do to improve fair and equal access to employment and Council services.

The Equalities Scheme is fundamentally about the implementation of the Council’s Equality and Diversity policy at corporate and directorate levels. This includes the three General duties to promote race, disability and gender equality.

The General duties to promote equality are about a pro-active approach to eliminating unlawful discrimination and promoting equalities. The Equalites Scheme framework and action plans are designed to help implement such an approach.

We will act in three-year action plan cycles of review, involvement, assessment, priorities and action. We cannot achieve everything at once, but we will report back each year about our progress on what we have achieved.

The Council will seek to integrate the framework for action on equality in key mainstream areas of its work, so that it becomes part and parcel of what it is to plan and deliver excellent services for the communities who live, work and visit our borough.

About the Scheme

The Scheme is designed to be read in individual sections.

The first part outlines the Council’s Equality and Diversity vision, key equality and diversity policy objectives, the overall context of the work and how it links with key mainstream objectives and work areas of the Council.

The second part outlines key processes for helping us to form and implement our action plan objectives, in order to make the vision a reality.

The third part contains our equality action plans for producing outcomes, which in three-year action plan cycles of activity, we hope to make a difference for all our diverse communities.

The Scheme is a living document and we would encourage you to give us your views. We would welcome any contributions you would like to make in relation to your experiences as a resident and/or service user in relation to the equality areas outlined.

Download the Equalities Scheme

Download the appendices

Equalities Scheme contacts

Please send or email your comments about the Equalities Scheme, or if you need these documents in Braille, large print, audio tape or another language to:

Suganya Ranganathan

Equalities and Diversity Manager
Room 307,
Corporate Policy Unit
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
44 York Street,
Twickenham,
TW1 3BZ

Email: s.ranganathan@richmond.gov.uk

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