Purpose

This report is the main way we report on our
statutory equality duties. The Council is legally required under
S149 of the Equality Act 2010 as noted above to provide an annual
report of progress against its Equality Objectives, on how we are
meeting the General Equality Duty, our workforce in terms of pay
gaps and other areas.

Content

9.1

The Chief Operating Officer presented a report
setting out details of the duty to annually publish information
demonstrating how we are meeting our statutory duties under the
Equality Act 2010 and associated Public Sector Duties (PSED). This
includes publishing information relating to citizens and employees
with protected characteristics.
 
The Annual Equality Report now submitted sets out
an overview of how the Council met its duties and Year 1 progress
against our Equality Objectives 2024 to 2028.  The report also sets out the proposed Equality
Awareness Days we will support in 2025 to help us in our duty to
foster good relationships between people who share protected
characteristics and those who do
not.

 

 

9.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Strategy and
Resources Policy Committee:-

 

 

 

(a) notes the
Annual Equality Report, specifically:
 
(1) the progress made in meeting our equality
objectives and the public sector duty; and
 
(2) endorses the equality objectives set out in
the report;
 
(b) agrees the
proposed Annual Equality Awareness days to be marked in 2025/26, as
set out in the report;
 
(c) requests
that officers continue to develop the council’s corporate
performance framework to include progress against the equalities
objectives and greater analysis of performance in relation to the
Council Plan from the perspective of equalities, diversity and
inclusion;
 
(d) notes the
developing role of the Finance and Performance Committee as the
body responsible for oversight and scrutiny of performance
including equalities performance and workforce data;
and
 
(e) notes the
gender pay gap report and request that officers include the
equivalent data for disability and ethnicity in a comparative
format annually.

 

 

9.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

9.3.1

The Annual
Equality Report 2024 helps to meet the specific duty to publish
information on an annual basis which demonstrates how we are
meeting our statutory duties under the Equality Act 2010 and
associated Public Sector Duties (PSED). 

 

 

9.3.2

We have set out awareness days for 2025/26 (see annex 1 of the
report) which we are asking the Committee to agree. These awareness
days cover all protected characteristics and aim to foster good
relationships and encourage participation in public life for groups
who are often underrepresented.

 

 

9.4

Alternatives Considered and
Rejected

 

 

9.4.1

Alternative options include doing nothing, publishing a smaller
report or integrating the report into the Council’s
performance management framework.

 

 

9.4.2

These options were discounted as the council has stated its
commitment to publish its progress with regards to equalities,
diversity and inclusion and specifically has committed to provided
updates with regards to the findings of the Sheffield Race Equality
Commission.

 

 

9.4.3

It should also be noted that the recommended approach meets the
Councils duty to publish information on an annual basis to
demonstrate how we are meeting the Equality Act 2010 and associated
Public Sector Duties (PSED). This includes publishing information
relating to citizens and employees with protected characteristics
to ensure we continue to create a fairer city for
all.

 

 

9.4.4

Ultimately the Council will seek to provide
more information with regards to equality, diversity and inclusion
as part of its performance management framework (on a quarterly
cycle), this will be developed during 2025/26 with oversight from
the Councils Finance and Performance Committee.