Equality & Diversity Strategy gets the green light
Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet has today approved the draft of a new Equality and Diversity Strategy.
The new four-year strategy replaces the existing Equality Policy, takes into account the council’s legal duties and responsibilities and sets out its commitment to being an inclusive and open Council.
It includes a clear vision and new set of objectives focusing on leadership and organisational commitment, having a diverse workforce, providing accessible and responsive services and celebrating diversity. To ensure accountability, the strategy will be driven by a supporting action plan, which will be reviewed annually.
At their meeting today, the Cabinet approved the new draft strategy, which will now be used as a basis for wider community engagement.
Councillor Paul Watling, Cabinet Member for Co-Operative Communities, Engagement and Partnerships, said: “The council has made positive steps to improve services, celebrate diversity and increase training and guidance for staff, but there is much more we want to do as an organisation.
“Our new, four-year Equality and Diversity Strategy takes into account our legal duties and responsibilities and also our vision for the type of culture we want to promote through our workforce and in the way we treat our residents and customers. It includes new objectives and a supporting action plan that we will use to report progress against annually.
“Whilst a lot of consideration has already been given to the strategy and action plan, there is more consultation needed, so we will be engaging with local communities, organisations, our partners and our workforce to make sure it truly reflects their needs and feedback.”
Community engagement is expected to be completed in early 2022, before the final version of the strategy is presented to Cabinet in April.
