Equality & Diversity

Wrexham Council is committed to equality of opportunity for everyone.

We are committed to making equality a reality in the provision of services, in our role as an employer and as a key community leader.

Wrexham County Borough Council – Commitment to Equality

Wrexham County Borough Council is committed to equality of opportunity for everyone.

We are committed to making equality a reality in the provision of services, in our role as an employer and as a key community leader.

We believe that everyone has the right to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect and will not discriminate on grounds of age, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation or religion and belief.

We are committed to developing a workforce that broadly reflects the local community and will ensure that every job applicant receives fair and equitable treatment. We value diversity within our workforce and appoint on merit only. We will not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, disability, age, religion or belief or sexual orientation. We aim to provide a positive working environment that is free from harassment and discrimination and where people are encouraged to achieve their true potential. We are working to continually improve our services and how they are delivered, to ensure the needs of local people are met.

We are committed to working with our partners and with local communities to develop a shared sense of belonging to the County Borough of Wrexham.

The Diversity Calendar is copyright to Diversiton (www.diversiton.com) and under the terms of this agreement usage is restricted to employees of Wrexham County Borough Council and its clients/users within the normal parameters of day to day work.  Any unauthorised copying or distribution outside of the organisation is strictly prohibited.  Diversiton is a non profit making organisation and all resources are used to support the development of new products and services in the promotion of equality and diversity.  Diversiton also supports a range of charitable projects.  

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New Equality Laws – Introducing the Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 replaces the existing anti-discrimination laws with one single Act. It simplifies the law, removing inconsistencies and makes it easier for people to understand and comply with it. It also strengthens the law in important ways to help tackle discrimination and equality.

Most of Equality Act comes into force on 1 October 2010. Wrexham County Borough Council is committed to equality and fairness and welcomes the new laws. We are currently reviewing our equality policies and plans to ensure that we meet all of the requirements of the law.

The new Act contains a range of new rights, powers and obligations to help the drive towards equality, including tackling the overarching inequality caused by where you were born and what your parents do for a living.

The new Act strengthens UK equality laws:

  • A new public sector duty is to be introduced to reduce socio-economic inequalities
  • A new integrated Equality Duty is to be placed upon public bodies
  • Requires the public sector to use procurement to improve equality
  • Bans age discrimination outside the workplace
  • Requires employers to publish their gender pay and employment equality data
  • Extends the scope for employers to use positive action
  • Strengthens the powers of employment tribunals
  • Extends the protection for carers from discrimination
  • Clarifies protection from discrimination for breastfeeding mothers
  • Bans discrimination in private members’ clubs
  • Strengthens protection from discrimination for disabled people
  • Protects people from dual discrimination

You can find our more about the new Act by following the links below:

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For further information about the Council’s approach to equality and diversity email equality@wrexham.gov.uk or telephone the Council’s Equality Manager on 01978 292808

Diversity in Wrexham

Between 1991 and 2001 there has been an overall increase in the population of Wrexham of approximately 4%. According to the Census 2001, the population of Wrexham was 128,500. Approximately a third of the total population lives in the centre of Wrexham and the remaining two-thirds live in outlying areas within the borough.

The 2001 Census also tells us that 2.6% of the total population identified themselves other than "White British". Of these 1.1% come from minority ethnic groups such as black, Asian, Chinese and mixed heritage. However, the Census does not reflect the true extent of diversity in the area as many groups such as Gypsies, Travellers, asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers and overseas students are not included. In reality the ethnic population is much larger than the Census suggests.

Monitoring requests for translation and interpretation and working with partners tells us that there are many different languages spoken in Wrexham including English, Welsh, Polish, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Bangla, Urdu, Hindi, Sorani, French, Tigrean, Somali and Farsi.

According to the Disability Register figures for 2003/2004, Registered Disabled people make up around 1.6% of the local population.

Although there are no exact figures that measure the population by sexual orientation, we estimate that approximately one in ten people in the UK are lesbian, gay or bisexual.

There are many faiths practiced in Wrexham, the Town Centre alone is home to almost thirty different places to worship. The largest faith group is Christian. Other faiths include Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish and Hindu.

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Key Equality Documents

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Equality Monitoring

Introduction

Equality monitoring is the process used to collect, store and analyse data about people’s backgrounds. Without equality monitoring we would not know if our equality polices and plans are working and if all groups were being treated fairly.

The purpose of equality monitoring is to help us to highlight possible inequalities, investigate underlying causes and identify actions we need to put in place to remove any unfairness or disadvantage. It also helps us to understand if our policies and procedures are working to promote equality of opportunity for all.

In Wrexham County Borough Council we see monitoring as part of an ongoing process of analysis, asking questions, investigation and making changes that continually improve the quality of life for everyone in Wrexham.

We gather the information about racial group, gender and disability by asking people, such as job applicants, to complete a short questionnaire.

Equality monitoring in employment helps us to manage the diversity of our workforce and understand how our employment policies and procedures affect different groups. Analysing this information helps us to make sure that everyone is being treated fairly and in accordance with our equality policy.

Equality monitoring of service delivery helps us to understand which groups are using our services. By comparing the results of equality monitoring we can determine if levels of satisfaction with the service are the same for all groups. It also tells us if we are reaching under-represented groups and if services we provide are relevant to their needs and provided fairly.

Equality monitoring and the law

The Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000) gives public authorities a general duty to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination, promote equal opportunities; and promote good relations between people of different racial groups.

Equality monitoring, required by the Race Relations Amendment Act, covers employment and policy and service delivery.

The Council is required to publish the outcome of its findings each year.

Equality monitoring data is subject to the Data Protection Act.

Equality Monitoring Data 2005-06

This document is available in the following formats:

Equality Monitoring Data 2005-06 - Word version 154Kb

Equality Monitoring Data 2005-06 - PDF version 616Kb

Equality Monitoring Data 2005-06 - Plain Text version 430Kb

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Employment Outcomes

This Act places upon the Council a statutory duty to monitor by racial groups all employees, applicants for jobs, promotion and training. In addition we are required to monitor by racial group those who receive training, benefit or suffer disadvantage as a result of performance assessments, are involved in grievances, have disciplinary action taken against them and end employment with the Council.

Service Outcomes

The Council must also set out in its Race Equality Scheme how it will monitor the impact of all policies they have adopted or are proposing to adopt on promoting race equality and how it could affect different racial groups. This applies to all functions and policies that are relevant to the general duty. You can find out more about this in the section on impact assessments.

Education

Schools must assess the impact of all their policies on pupils, staff and parents from different racial groups. They must monitor the way their policies work and place a special emphasis on pupils’ attainment levels.

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Impact Assessments

Introduction

An impact assessment is a process whereby a structured assessment is undertaken to see if the aims of a function or a policy, including how it is delivered or implemented, could result in less favourable treatment for some groups.

Undertaking impact assessments is part of the legal duties set out in the Race Relations Amendment Act. Under this Act the council must consider how its functions and policies, including how they are delivered, affect different racial groups. An impact assessment is primarily a pro-active step and a preventative measure to avoid discrimination or unfairness before it occurs. It is not something we only do once a new policy has been written it is now part of the policy development process and affects how we and design our services.

Impact assessments are a vital tool to help the council improve services and achieve improved outcomes for everyone in Wrexham. Although we are only legally obliged to assess the impact on racial groups we have broadened our approach to include a number of other strands of equality including age, gender, disability, sexual orientation and religion and belief.

Impact assessments help the Council to:

  • Improve services and make them more accessible and relevant to local need
  • Promote equality of opportunity as an employer, provider of services and community leader
  • Promote good community and race relations
  • Develop a pro-active approach to equality and inclusion
  • Combat discrimination
  • Identify areas where there is potential for unfair treatment or discrimination to exist so that this can be addressed at the earliest stage possible
  • Integrate good equality practice into the policy framework and everything we do and how we do it.

The impact assessment process

Impact assessments are conducted in stages:

  • Step one – initial screening. The first stage is to make a list of all of the council’s functions and associated policies and check if they are relevant to the equalities legislation. A checklist is in use for this stage. Those that are considered relevant go on to a more detailed assessment.
  • Step two – detailed assessment. During this stage look at the policy or function and look at what evidence we might have to suggest the policy, or how it is delivered, affects different groups in different ways and if any group is treated less well as a result.

Where any discrimination or unfair practice is identified then we would consider what actions need to be taken to improve the policy or function. These actions would be recorded in an action plan. Consultation would take place before any major changes are made.

Following on from the impact assessment monitoring systems will be introduced to ensure the changes did achieve their desired outcomes.

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Access information and services

We recognise that our customers have different needs and so we can offer, free of charge, a number of options to ensure everyone can access information and communicate with us.

  • We offer documents produced by the Council in both English and Welsh and can arrange to have them translated into other languages upon request.
  • We can arrange for an interpreter to help our customers who do not speak English or Welsh communicate with us. Staff can access this service from any location provided they have access to a telephone.
  • We can arrange for a British Sign Language interpreter.
  • We can arrange for documents and information to be produced in a variety of accessible formats including large print, Braille, audio-cassette, or in electronic formats such as computer disk or sent to you via email.
  • Reception areas are fitted with hearing loops as are some meeting and interview rooms. We also have portable hearing loops available for meetings and interviews.
  • Reception staff have a variety of equipment available to help people with visual impairments – including magnifying sheets and signing blocks.

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Accessible Wrexham Group

The Accessible Wrexham Group was established by Wrexham Council to promote joint working between Wrexham Council and local disabled people, disability and access groups.

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Contacting us

You can contact the Council by writing to us, via the telephone, email, by fax or, if you have a text phone, you can contact the Council’s main reception desk using the text phone (Minicom). The receptionist will be happy to take a message and relay this for you to the right person. Alternatively you can contact the department of your choice directly by using Typetalk the telephone relay service by simply dialling the prefix 18001 followed by the full telephone number including the area code.

You can use the Council’s website to find out about Council services, this can be viewed in a number of different languages and has been designed using standards set out by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB).

Contact the Equality Manager, Wrexham County Borough Council, 01978 292808

Help us to help you

From time to time we will ask you for your views and opinions and consult you about our plans. Feedback plays an important part in developing our services and helps us to ensure our services meet the needs of our customers. If you would like to share your views or make a suggestion then please let us know. If you need any help or support to access our services please ask a member of staff.

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