The right of everyone in Argyll and Bute to be treated fairly will be protected by a range of priorities designed to tackle all forms of discrimination.
Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy and Resources committee today (February 14) agreed seven Equality Outcomes for the period 2019-2023, setting out clearly that the council will not tolerate discrimination, harassment or victimisation of anyone who comes into contact with the Council – employees or service users.
The Equality Outcomes agreed are:
Workforce
- We support our workforce, encouraging participation across all age groups
- We promote diversity across occupational groups
Engagement
- We have improved engagement with protected groups
Services
- People with protected characteristics have improved experiences of services
- We take the views of people from protected groups into account when we change our services
Education
- We do not tolerate bullying and harassment of people from protected groups
- The gap in educational attainment between people with and without protected characteristics is reduced
The Equality Outcomes aim to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Those protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
The outcomes were developed and finessed following discussions with the council’s Employee Equality Forum and a public consultation.
Councillor Rory Colville, Policy Lead for Corporate Services, said: “Equality and fairness must be central to everything that we do as a local authority, and it’s important that we have these agreed aims and values so that we can monitor our progress in eliminating discrimination. These outcomes make it clear that the council will not tolerate discrimination and that we will continue to work hard to make sure Argyll and Bute is a great place to live and work for everyone.”
Also agreed by the committee was the council’s updated Equality and Diversity Policy, which replaces the previous policy agreed in 2012.
The Equality Outcomes and Equality and Diversity Policy are available on the council’s website at http://bit.ly/2DkpstW and will now go forward to full council for approval.
This press release is also available in Gaelic here: /news/2019/feb/%E2%80%99-chomhairle-%E2%80%99-dearbhadh-mar-bheir-i-taic-do-cho-ionannachd