Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Director of Strategy.

The report provides an overview of the Equality Objectives which run from 2023-2027, an update on progress in year 1, outlines the future priorities and how the council are responding to the key GM Equality and Diversity Strategies.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to note the approach of the council’s Equality Objectives and progress against implementing them.

Officer contact: Kathryn Rees on 0161 474 3174 or email: kathryn.rees@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Strategy submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an overview of the Equality Objectives which ran from 2023-2027, an update on progress in year 1, outlining the future priorities and how the council was responding to the key GM Equality and Diversity Strategies.

The Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture & Sport (Councillor Frankie Singleton) attended the meeting to respond to councillors’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Members suggested that the men’s toilets located next to the council chamber should become gender neutral.

·         Members commented that the report represented a good start. The nature of inequality began with health and lead to other areas.  It was also noted that equality began in childhood and equality gaps could be life-long. It was further commented that the council should do whatever it could to support care-leavers.

·         Factors which contributed to a shift in council policy on inequality included the borough becoming more diverse.  Information related to the diversity of the borough was available from school census data which, for the first time had asked about sexual orientation.  This provided the council with a rich data set in which to understand communities within the borough.

·         It was also reported that that further data on the borough was available in the State of the Borough annual report which included census data and key metrics, along with the prototype of labour profiles which were being collated as part of local neighbourhood workshops.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.