Equality and Diversity Strategy
Easy read Consultation
The Council welcomes the diversity of people who live in,
work in and visit Barking and Dagenham.
We want to promote equality and stop social exclusion
and discrimination.
We are a diverse borough which is changing. These are
things to celebrate.
As London grows, our population will grow and the
Borough will change.
Growth will bring homes, jobs and opportunity.
We need to make sure that change:
 is positive
 benefits everyone
 leaves nobody behind.
We are developing an Equality and Diversity Strategy
to make the lives of residents better.
We want to create a place where people understand and
celebrate each other’s differences.
We want a place where people can be equal and reach
their potential.
1
About Barking and Dagenham
Our population is growing…
Our population is diverse…
 The proportion of people from minority ethnic
backgrounds is now 50%.
Our population is young…
 We have the highest proportion of people
under 16 in the UK.
 Our population is disadvantaged and
outcomes are poor.
 We are the ninth most deprived borough in
the country
 We are the second most deprived borough in
London.
 The chart below shows the challenges that
face people in Barking and Dagenham.
2
Local people with protected characteristics
Age
The borough has the highest
percentage of 0-19 year olds
The percentage of people over 60 is
one of the smallest
Disability
Around 9,100 people claim disability
allowance
Gender
51.5 % of people are female, 49.6%
are male
There are around 40 people who have
Gender
gone through or who will go through
reassignment
gender reassignment
Pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy rates are the
and
second highest rate in London
maternity
41.9% of the population aged 16 and
Marriage and are married
civil 38.8% are single and never married
partnership 0.2% are in a same-sex civil
partnership
24.6% of residents are from African or
Afro-Caribbean background,
Ethnicity
15.5% from Asian, 8% from other or
mixed ethnic groups
56% of the population are Christian.
Religion or
18.9% identify with no religion.
belief
13.7% identify as Muslim
Sexual Between 10,000 – 14,000 people are
orientation lesbian, gay and bisexual.
3
About the Strategy
Getting equalities and diversity right will help us achieve
our vision to change the Council and its services, and
make sure economic growth benefits everyone.
Success with equality and diversity means that the lives
of residents get better.
Failure means that our services do not meet the needs
of residents, so they fall further behind.
The Equality and Diversity Strategy sets out a new
vision for the Council to aim for.
It sets priorities for where we want to make an impact.
We will also develop an action plan.
We will check that the plan achieves the Strategy’s aims.
Meeting our legal duties
The Strategy will provide the framework for how we will
meet the public sector duty of the Equality Act 2010.
The law says we must consider everyone when carrying
out our work.
This includes our policies, services and the way we treat
people who work for us.
The Equality Act says we must:
 stop discrimination
 offer people more equality of opportunity
 encourage good relations between people.
4
The Strategy will work towards people being treated
equally based on the Equality Act’s protected
characteristics (these are on page 3).
?
Why are we asking people what they think?
 We are asking people who live and work here what
they think our priorities should be around equality
and diversity
 We are asking you which issues the Strategy
should address.
Our Aims
These are the Aims that we are asking you about:
5
Aim 1: Better outcomes for all
 Help people achieve better education
 Less hate crime
 More equal healthcare
 Less deprivation
Aim 2: No one left behind
Growth includes everybody, making the borough
a better place for all residents.
 Make sure regeneration is good for people who
already live here
 Support residents into jobs
 Make sure there is housing people can afford
Aim 3: Fair and open service delivery
Services are based on evidence about the needs of
our community.
 Make sure services are based on the needs
of people who use them
 Make sure we check how all our policies
affect equality
 Work with you on how we deliver services.
Aim 4: ‘Good example’ employer
The Council will lead the way in equality and
diversity for our workforce.
 Highest standards of equality in our work
policies
 Employment free from discrimination
 No barriers for people with impairments.
 Better diversity in the workforce so that it
reflects our community.
6
How to tell us your views
Please complete a survey to help find out what your
views are.
You can find it at this link:
http://consult.lbbd.gov.uk/public/consultation/equality_an
d_diversity
You can also download the survey, print it, fill it in and
send it to us by post.
Contact us if you would like the survey in a different
format.
We will also be working with our partners and local
groups to find out what they think of the Strategy.
If your group wishes to talk with us about the Strategy,
then please contact us.
You need to tell us your views by 2 January 2017.
Thank you for taking part. Your feedback is important.
Yours Sincerely,
Councillor Sade Bright
Cabinet Member
for Equalities and Cohesion
7
Survey questions
If you have downloaded the survey to complete, then
please fill it in and e-mail it to: [email protected]
Or send it by post to:
Strategy and Programmes,
Barking Town Hall,
Barking,
IG11 7LU
Phone: 020 8227 5796
Questions
Vision
We want to create a place where people respect and
celebrate each other’s differences.
Where understanding and responsibility can grow and all
people can enjoy equality and fulfil their potential.
?
QV: Do you support the vision of the Strategy?
Yes ☐
No ☐
QVa: Please tell us more about this.
Write your comments here.
8
Aim 1: Better outcomes for everybody
Better outcomes - particularly for people who are most
disadvantaged.
 Help people achieve better education
 Less hate crime and get involved when there
are problems
 More equal healthcare
 Less deprivation
?
Q1a: Do you agree that this aim should be in the
Strategy?
Yes ☐
No ☐
Q1b: How do you think we could make things better
around this aim?
Write your comments here.
Q1c: What needs to be done to make things better
in this area?
Write your comments here.
9
Aim 2: No one left behind
Growth is inclusive and sustainable, making the borough
a better place for all our residents.
 Make sure regeneration is good for people who
live here
 Help residents get jobs
 Make sure there is provision of affordable
housing
 Make sure economic growth is inclusive and
benefits everyone.
?
Q2a: Do you agree that this aim should be in the
Strategy?
Yes ☐
No ☐
Q2b: How do you think we could make things better
in this area?
Write your comments here.
Q2c: What needs to be done to make things better
in this area?
Write your comments here.
10
Aim 3: Fair and open service delivery
Service delivery and commissioning is based on
evidence about people’s needs.
 Make best use of insight and intelligence
 Make sure that commissioning reflects the needs
and expectations of service users
 Make sure good quality equalities impact
assessments are carried out
 Work with residents on how services work
?
Q3a: Do you agree that this aim should be in the
Strategy?
Yes ☐
No ☐
Q3b: How could we make things better in this area?
Write your comments here.
Q3c: What needs to be done to make things better
in this area?
Write your comments here.
11
Aim 4: A ‘good example’ employer
The Council will be lead the way in equality and
diversity and make sure policies and workforce reflect
this.
 Make sure we have the highest standards of
equality in our employment policies
 Make sure that employment processes and
conditions are free from discrimination
 Keep our status as a ‘Disability Confident’
employer and get rid of barriers for people with
impairments.
 Make diversity better in the workforce so that it
reflects our community
?
Q4a: Do you agree that this aim should be in the
Strategy?
Yes ☐
No ☐
Q4b: How could we make things better in this area?
Write your comments here.
Q4c: What needs to be done to make things better
in this area?
Write your comments here.
12
Q5: Are there other aims missing from the
Strategy?
Write your comments here.
Q6: Are there any equalities and diversity issues
that you wish to tell us about?
Write your comments here.
Images by Photosymbols
13