"Our mandate is to build a safe, just, tolerant and equal society for everyone in the Borough.
In practice Equalities includes - age, asylum or refugee status, caring responsibilities, class, colour, disability (including physical, sensory impairment, mental health problems or learning difficulties), ethnic or national origin (including Romany Gypsies and Travellers of Irish Heritage), gender reassignment, HIV status, language, marital status, nationality (including citizenship), part time working, race, religion, culture, sex, sexual orientation and or membership of a trade union.
All Councillors, employees and those acting on behalf of the Council are responsible for implementing our Comprehensive Equality Policy and have a continuing duty to challenge discrimination."
The Public Sector Equality Duty is embedded in our Comprehensive Equality Policy. The Duty requires us to publish information regarding local equality issues and set equality objectives in the Community and within our workforce.
Community Equality Objectives:
1) Are embedded in our new Corporate Strategy 2012 - 2017 http://www.havant.gov.uk/havant-129 . This strategy commits us to encourage community engagement in service delivery and new ways of delivering local priorities, commits to ensuring our services will be affordable for customers, employ apprentices and encourage apprenticeships in other local employers; Use customer insight and knowledge of communities’ needs and aspirations to inform the transformation, design and delivery of appropriate and affordable services
2) Are embedded in our new Customer Access Strategy http://www.havant.gov.uk/havant-129. The Strategy includes modernising our services and making them more accessible online, whilst clearly committing to understanding the needs of our customers who require face to face access to the Council and ensuring that facility is local. Added value to accessing our services, targets younger people, low income families and older people on the cusp of managing.
3) Are embedded in our Community Safety Partnership. This year we are focusing on 3 priority areas based on customer feedback and local crime figures in the Borough. The Partnership are focusing on 1) anti social behaviour including vulnerable victims of anti social behaviour 2) Violence particularly domestic abuse and assault 3) First time entrants into the Criminal Justice System aged 11-17.
4) Havant Youth Council's Community Challenge involves working with disabled people throughout 2012, more information can be found http://www.youthbeat.net/
You can find more information about the communities of Havant in our Diversity Profile 2011.
Internal Equality Objectives:
are embedded in our People Strategy, focusing on 2 objectives
1) Raising the number of people reporting they are from minority group. Making staff feel more comfortable about reporting characteristics such as disability, race and sexual orientation (annually). This work will help us understand whether our Comprehensive Equality Policy is working.
2) From a recent Customer and Equality Impact Assessment on changes to our organisation in 2011 it is clear we have an ageing workforce with very low representation of people under the age of 26. Therefore we are committed to raising the amount of younger people who work in our organisation.
The Shared Management Structure for Havant Borough Council and East Hampshire District Council provides information and photographs of our senior management
Each report that goes before a Committee of the Council has a summary of impact on staff/communities within the report body. If you require more information, please contact the author of the report in the first instance.
For more information on Equalities please contact caren.ransom@havant.gov.uk or phone 023 92 446 007
Havant Borough Council links:
“Any Special Requirements?” - Making Your Meetings Accessible And Inclusive
Complaints of Hate Crime
Comprehensive Equality Policy
Customer and Equality Impact Assessments
Disability Access Group page
Diversity Profile 2011
Equality Peer Review
Havant Diversity Network Forum (Supported by by several agencies across
Havant)
LGBT Information and Support
Local Economic Development News (April 2010)
Tackling Unemployment Issues (2009)
Voluntary groups in Havant
Havant is also a member of the Hampshire Equality Network – more information can be found on the "Hampshire County Council's Equality Network webpage".
The Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) Health Profile for Havant (external link)
Gypsies and Travellers
Gypsies and Travellers Unit (external link)
External links:
Age UK
Centre for Accessible Environments
Commission for Equalities and Human Rights
Department for Education (This was previously known as The Department for Children, Schools and Families and was formed on 12 May 2010. It is responsible for education and children's services)
Disability Resources
'Disability Now' Magazine
Employers Organisation for Local Government
Hampshire County Council's Disability Homepage
Home Office
Multifaith Calender - BBC Website
Royal National Institute for the Deaf
Stonewall Working for equality and justice for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals
Contact
Caren Ransom
Equalities and Access Officer
Havant Borough Council
e.mail: caren.ransom@havant.gov.uk
Tel: Customer Service Centre (023) 9244 6019