"Equality is ensuring equal treatment and equal opportunity, where no-one is held back because of who they are or where they come from." [Home Office]:
Home Office - Equalities (external website)
Diversity is recognising that people are different.
The East Riding of Yorkshire has 171 parishes and 26 wards, covering 930 square miles and has population of 338,690 (2010). Information on the demographics of the East Riding can be found at the East Riding data observatory:
Data Observatory (external East Riding website)
or
Knowledge management tool kit (pdf 552KB opens in new window)
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The council is committed to fulfilling its role as an employer, service provider, purchaser of goods and services and community leader without discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, race, religion, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships and sexual orientation.
All Councillors, employees and agents of the council must seek to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations within all communities.
The council is a member of the Joint East Riding Equality and Diversity Board. View the terms of reference:
Terms of Reference (pdf 162 kb opens in new window)
Minutes of the Joint East Riding Equality and Diversity Board are available from:
Minutes of the Joint East Riding Equality and Diversity Board (pdf 113kb opens in new window)
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The Equality Act has consolidated over 100 pieces of equalities legislation and guidance into one piece of legislation. Further information is available from the Equality and Human Rights Commission:
Equality and Human Rights Commission (external website)
The Equality Act 2010 requires the majority of public bodies, including councils, for people with protected characteristics to pay ‘due regard’ to;
- Eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- Advancing equality of opportunity
- Fostering good relations
Protected characteristics are classed as;
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age;
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disability ;
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gender;
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gender reassignment;
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race;
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religion, faith or belief including lack of belief;
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sexual orientation;
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marriage and civil partnership;
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pregnancy and maternity.
These are referred to as the aims of the equality duty.
In order to meet the three aims and also as part of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the council by law has to:
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publish information to demonstrate their compliance with the equality duty by 31 January 2012 and;
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develop and publish one or more equality objectives by 6 April 2012.
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The council has a discriminatory incidents reporting process. A discriminatory incident is any:
Incident that is perceived to be discriminatory by the victim or any other person. Discrimination happens when someone is treated less favourable because of their race, gender (including gender reassignment), sexual orientation, age, religion/belief or disability (known as direct discrimination), or when a policy, practice or process puts someone at an unfair disadvantage (known as ‘indirect discrimination’).
This is a very broad definition and means that if an incident is thought to be discrimination by (for instance):
- the victim;
- a witness to the incident;
- the member of staff to whom a report is made;
- another member of staff reviewing a report of the incident;
and it meets the definition (as above) then it should be counted as an incident.
Incidents might include:
- verbal or physical threats;
- insulting, abusive, embarrassing or patronising behaviour or comments;
- humiliating, intimidating, demeaning and/or persistent criticism;
- open hostility;
- isolation or exclusion from normal work or study place, conversations or social events;
- publishing, circulating or displaying pornographic, racist, sexually suggestive or otherwise offensive pictures or other materials;
- unwanted physical contact, ranging from an invasion of space to a serious assault, and;
- suggestive comments or body language;
- alleged discrimination in the failure to provide a service;
- discriminatory graffiti.
(This list is not intended to be exhaustive.)
Reporting an incident
To report a discriminatory incident members of the public should please contact the council directly.
The discriminatory incidents are reported twice a year to the Corporate Management Team and Corporate Issues Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Discriminatory Incident Report 2011/12 (pdf 160kb opens a new window)
Hate crime
‘Hate crimes and incidents are taken to mean any crime or incident where the perpetrator’s hostility or prejudice against an identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised’.
The council is signed up to Humberside Police’s Hate Crime initiative, ‘Hate Crime So Do We!’
Humberside Police - Hate Crime (external webpage)
Equality Analysis
The council makes sure that all residents are considered when decisions are made so that they are not discriminated against. These are shown in Equality Analysis (EAs):
List of EAs by directorate (excel 44kb opens in new window)
We have completed EAs for the Quarter April to June 2012. If you would like more information please contact us using the form at the right hand side of this page.
Translation and interpretation
The council uses an external translation and interpretation service provider so that residents and visitors to area can access the services we provide. If we did not provide this service, we would be seen as discriminating against those people.
For information on the service please contact Kiran Kochar-Johnson:
Email: kiran.kochar-johnson@eastriding.gov.uk
Telephone: 01482 391425
Council spending on translation and interpretation
The council's spending between 2007 - 2012 on translation and interpretation services:
- 2007/08 - £8360
- 2008/09 – £10777
- 2009/10 - £28334
- 2010/11 - £26700
- 2011/12 - £24848
The main languages requested in 2011/12 were:
- Latvian
- Polish
- Russian
- Lithuanian
The council's spending in 2011/12 on translation and interpretation services:
Quarter 1 - £4621
Quarter 2 - £5611
Quarter 3 - £6438
Quarter 4 - £7697
The main languages requested are:
- Quarter 1 – Polish (26), Latvian (22) and Russian (5)
- Quarter 2 – Polish (35), Latvian (30) and Russian (6)
- Quarter 3 – Latvian (52), Polish (14) and Russian (16)
- Quarter 4 - Polish (29), Latvian (21) and Russian (20)
The council's spending in 2012/13 on translation and interpretation services so far is:
Quarter 1 - £8033.47
Quarter 2 - £5409.76
Quarter 3 - £3952.81
The main languages requested are:
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Quarter 1 – Russian (34), Polish (23) and Latvian (9)
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Quarter 2 - Russian (33) Latvian (13) and Kurdish (8)
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Quarter 3 - Russian (24) Latvian (13) Polich/Lithuanian (7) Thai (4)
The council recognises that we do not know enough about who uses our services in many areas. By undertaking equalities monitoring, we will be able to,
- Identify who is using our services
- Make sure that we provide accessible services
- Make sure that we are not discriminating, harassing or victimising our residents.
This information will be published once it is available.
This means taking steps to meet the different needs of people or removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people from protected groups, if necessary.
The council has undertaken many different projects to make sure that residents have equality opportunity in their life.
Disability access guide
The Disability Access Guide has been produced with the help of local access and disability groups and is designed for residents and those who visit the East Riding. The Guide provides accessibility information for a range of leisure facilities, tourist attractions and other visitor centres.
The Guide is available from Tourist Information Centres, Libraries, Customer Service Centres or Leisure Centres and is available in different formats.
Disability Access Guide (pdf 2mb opens in new window)
Changing Places
The Changing Places Consortium has launched its campaign on behalf of those people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. This includes people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their carers, as well as many other disabled people. They need Changing Places toilets with enough space and the right equipment, including a height adjustable changing bench and a hoist.
Find out how the Changing Places campaign is changing lives (external website)
British Sign Language Clips
Following feedback from the Deaf and Hearing Impaired Forum, it was found that many deaf or hearing impaired residents were not aware of services as they couldn’t read English.
Developed in partnership with Humberside Police Authority, Humberside Police Force, NHS East Riding of Yorkshire and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, the British Sign Language clips show the different services provided by all the organisations so that deaf and hearing impaired residents can access these services.
View information on accessing council information in alternative formats
Migrant families
In September 2010, the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) agreed to undertake a place based project focused on improving outcomes for migrant families in Goole. The project is working to deliver the following outcomes:
Ensuring access to services/supporting families, safeguarding children and young people and adults, supporting families, reducing health inequalities, promoting social inclusion, reducing child poverty.
The project is also working to deliver the following process outcomes: reducing duplication, improving value for money and educing pressure on services.
Goole:Improving outcomes for families action plan (pdf 31kb opens in new window)
Goole:Improving outcomes for families update (pdf 29kb opens in new window)
Gypsy and traveller liaison
The council also has a gypsy and traveller liaison team.
Equalities monitoring
The council recognises that we do not know who uses our services in many areas. By undertaking equalities monitoring, we will be able to,
- identify who is using our services;
- make sure that we provide accessible services which meets the needs of the diverse population of the East Riding.
This information will be published once it is available.
The council also recognises that more work needs to be done so that residents know what services we provide.
This means encouraging people from protected groups to participate in day to day life.
The council has a quarterly equality and diversity newsletter which highlights key events and consultations.
Equality and Diversity Newsletter October 2012 (pdf 131kb opens in new window)
During the past two years the council and its partners including NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and Humberside Police Force have held several disability information events. The main aims of the events have been to:
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raise awareness of the services available to disabled people and make information available to them and;
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allow networking of stallholders at the event to encourage communication between different services in order to provide better provision to disabled residents in the East Riding area.
The events have been held in Goole, Driffield, Withernsea and aboard the Public Health Vehicle in Hessle.
Feedback has been positive and it is hoped that there will more Disability Information events throughout the next year.
DAMG Group
The council with NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, Humberside Police Authority and NHS Humber Foundation Trust have a Disability Advisory and Monitoring Group who
This group will play an important role in informing the equalities agenda across the East Riding and the Humber area, and also provides a great opportunity for people with disabilities to have their voice heard.
So far, the group has given its views on:
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Humberside Police Headquarters;
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Planning and Shaping Humberside Fire and Rescue Service;
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Disability Access guide;
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Patient Transport Service;
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The council’s new website;
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Personal Budgets;
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NHS Equipment Services;
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Transport and Passenger Services;
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Countryside Access;
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and Blue Badges.
The next meeting of the group is on Thursday 3 October 2012 at Worklink, Cottingham. If you would like to join, please contact:
Email: kiran.kochar-johnson@eastriding.gov.uk
Telephone: (01482) 391425
DAMG minutes of the previous meeting (pdf 50.3 kb opens in new window)
The Hull LGBT Forum exists as a voice and representative body for lesbian, gay, bi-
sexual & Trans (LGBT) people within the community of Hull and East Riding.
Pride Hull (external website)
The council recognises that it needs to work more closely with the different protected groups in the area. Throughout the next year, this will be seen as a priority.
Further information will be published once it is available.
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There is still further information which can be used to show how the council is meeting its duties under the Equality Act, especially about specific services and showing how equalities monitoring is used in delivering services. During the next year, the council will be undertaking further work on these areas and will publish information once this is available.
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Following a period of consultation, the council has set the following four equality objectives in line with the Equality Act 2010.
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Ensure that the council’s decision makers assess, understand and manage the impact of their key decisions on protected groups.
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The council improves its knowledge of its residents to better provide accessible and appropriate services.
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The council, working with its partners, seeks to minimise the impact of hate crime.
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Ensure that all council publications are clear and easily understood.
Further information on the council's equality objectives is available:
Draft Equality Objectives 2012 (pdf 123kb opens in new window)
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A report is produced annually showing the council’s workforce:
Equalities Workforce Information Report for 2010/11 (pdf 633kb opens in new window)
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