Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety & Resilience, Councillor David Wood

Officer: Interim Chief Executive, Katherine Kerswell

Key decision: no

This item was taken as the second substantive item of the meeting following the Renewing Croydon Improvement Plan – Update.

The Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety & Resilience thanked the Equalities Manager, Yvonne Okiyo, and Director of Policy & Partnerships, Gavin Handford, for all of their work in developing the new Equalities Strategy. It was stated by the Cabinet Member that the council had a clear vision for Croydon to be a place of opportunity where everyone could belong. The challenge for the council was to make a difference through its work to continue to improve the life chances and lived experiences for its residents. It was noted that Cabinet was being asked to refer the adoption of the Equalities Strategy and new equality objectives to Council for adoption and to note the engagement and consultation which had been undertaken to develop the new Strategy.

The new priorities outlined within the Strategy were to address social inequalities through the council’s role as a community leader and employer, that the council work with residents to better understand the communities within the borough and that residents are encouraged and supported to live healthy lives. It was highlighted that the outcomes within the report closely aligned with the Equality Framework for Local Government. Additionally, the Equality Peer Challenge by the Local Government Association which had taken place in 2019 was also drawn upon to develop the Strategy.

The Cabinet Member thanked the Scrutiny & Overview Committee, partners and stakeholders for their invaluable feedback throughout the drafting process of the Strategy which had been incorporated where possible.

It was highlighted that the Strategy was designed to be a living document which was owned by the council and ran through all aspects of the council’s activities. At Section 4.7 of the report, it was noted by the Cabinet Member outlined that a high level board would be formed to coordinate the arrangement for embedding the policy and managing the implementation of the Strategy. As outlined within the appendices, each outcome had been considered on what actions would be taken and what success would look like with realistic timelines.

It was stated by the Cabinet Member that work had begun to align the Strategy with existing strategies and policies to avoid duplication and ensure there were compatible objectives throughout all of the policies and strategies of the council. It was recognised that the council was in a very different position than it was when work on developing the Strategy first began but the Cabinet Member assured Members that they had reappraised the objectives to reflect the new priorities and ways of working; as such it was suggested the document was working towards delivering achievable ambition.

The Leader also thanked the Equalities Manager and the Director of Policy & Partnerships for their work in developing the Strategy as it was recognised that a huge amount of work had gone into its development and also supporting the Peer Review. Tackling structural inequality was stated to be a central consideration of the work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21