Agenda item

The Members considered the following report:

 

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

 

1.1   To agree the budget and appropriate resources for the implementation of the Gender Action Plan (GAP) and LGBT+ Action Plan Year 1 activities.

 

 

2.0Recommendations

 

2.1The Members of the Committee are asked to recommend that, in accordance with the Council decision of 4th May, the Chief Executive exercise her delegated authority to agree the proposed diversity action plans and associated year 1 costs.

 

3.0Main Report

 

      Background and Context

 

3.1Our Equality and Diversity Framework outlines how we will tackle inequalities and promote diversity in our city. It is built around four key priorities:

 

A.     Leadership, partnership and organisational commitment

B.     Understanding our communities through data and consultation

C.     Delivering services accessible to all

D.     Developing a skilled and diverse workforce

 

3.2It  includes a series of actions to be delivered to help achieve these priorities and under Priority A, Leadership,  Partnership and Organisational Commitment, the Council has committed to developing and delivering a Gender Action Plan, LGBT+ Action Plan and a Race Action Plan.

 

      Gender Action Plan (GAP)

 

3.3Gender inequalities are deeply embedded in our social, economic and cultural systems.  There is overwhelming evidence that women disproportionately experience disadvantage and discrimination, a reflection of historical unaddressed inequality, but also that inequalities have been exacerbated by austerity, welfare reform and by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics affirm the persistence of gendered inequalities, which continue to inhibit women’s life opportunities in Northern Ireland. Men will benefit from gender equality as they too face gender-specific issues such as lower life expectancy, bad health, lower education levels and are impacted negatively by rigid gender norms.

 

3.4The proposed GAP 21-24 in Appendix 1 has been developed  following consultation  with the Women’s Steering Group (WSG),  the  Women’s Network and the wider group of staff that attended a Gender Inequalities workshop in January 2021. The purpose of this workshop was to have a discussion involving staff of all genders around gender inequalities, including how we can act as allies for each other and to feed into future action planning.

 

3.5The feedback from the consultation process has been incorporated into the draft 3-year plan and also influenced the revision to the themes of the GAP to:

 

·        Promoting gender equality in the council

·        Promoting gender equality in the community

·        Promoting gender equality in the economy

·        Promoting gender equality in the city

 

3.6Some actions from the 20/21 plan put on hold because of the pandemic, have been carried forward into the new plan, most notably the joint senior officer and elected member leadership development programme.  WSG held a virtual workshop to review the programme for future delivery, particularly in light of the impact of Covid 19 and this will be delivered in the autumn of this year.

 

3.7In addition to the financial resources required, the plan also identifies the role that individual business units and departments have in delivery of the plan. Chief officers are asked to allocate the necessary resources to ensure delivery of the actions or ensure where appropriate that actions are incorporated into existing projects and work plans. Year 1 of the proposed GAP has been costed and is being presented to the Committee  for approval. 

 

      LGBT+ Action Plan

 

3.8This plan sets out our proposed activity for 2021-24 and has been developed jointly between HR and the LGBT+ staff network which has grown considerably in size and visibility in recent years.  Actions include our second participation in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, a national benchmarking exercise that will assess our continued  commitment as an organisation to LGBT+ equality and show us where we need to improve; more LBGT+ awareness raising training and activity and increased community activity in particular, the staff network’s annual presence / participation  in Belfast Pride. The proposed plan is attached at Appendix Two. Year 1 of the proposed LGBT+ action plan has been costed and is being presented to the Committee for approval. 

 

      Disability Action Plan

 

3.9The Committee  should also note that  the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (‘DDA’) Section 49 requires the Council  to have due regard to the need to promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons, and to the need to encourage participation by disabled persons in public life.  Our current Plan runs, approved by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and reported on annually, runs from 2019 until 2022. 

 

      The People Strategy

 

3.10      Due to the pandemic, key elements of the draft People Strategy were put on hold. One of the key themes in  the emerging People Strategy will be Diversity and Inclusion and it is hoped that a more strategic approach to the management of our people and workforce development planning will ensure a that our diversity and inclusion activity is fully aligned to our corporate priorities and delivery of the Belfast Agenda,  in particular our  Inclusive Growth Strategy.  Included as an action in the draft strategy is the development of a race action plan. While the delay with implementation of the HR review and realignment of resources to other priorities during Covid have prevented this work been taken forward, the intention is to have a plan agreed by December 2021. 

 

      Diversity Mark NI - Award of Silver Accreditation

 

3.11      The Council was one of the first organisations to sign up to this diversity charter when it was launched in 2017. It measures the progress of organisations on their journey to improve diversity and inclusion,  and accreditation at Bronze, Silver and Gold level  is awarded to companies following an assessment process as they reach the required standard of commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion.  Having held the bronze accreditation since our initial assessment in 2018, the council was recently awarded silver accreditation, having demonstrated the progress required by Diversity Mark to achieve the silver level accreditation.  We are now one of only seven organisations (out of a total of ninety member organisations) to attain the Silver award and the first public sector organisation to do so.   To date no other member has achieved Gold accreditation.  

 

      Financial and Resource Implications

 

3.12      The cost of delivery of the proposed Gender Action Plan year 1 activities is estimated at £43,000. Please note this includes £12,000 of approved activity carried over from 2020/21 which could not be progressed because of the pandemic.  The cost of delivery of the LGBT+ Action Plan year 1 is estimated at £13,050.  Both plans will be met from the existing Organisational Development budget.

 

3.13      It should be noted that social distancing restrictions, should they continue, will impact on delivery of some activity, for example delivery of some may not be feasible or will only be feasible on a smaller or remote   basis. It is envisaged that this may reduce costs overall.   The plan also identifies the role that individual business units and departments have in delivery of the plan.

 

      Equality or Good Relations Implications/

      Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.14      The delivery of the Gender and the LGBT+ Action Plans will result in positive outcomes. The promotion of equality and diversity entails more than the elimination of discrimination, it requires proactive action. The actions contained within both plans will not only impact on internal operations but also have a positive impact externally on women and the LGBT+ community in our city.”

 

Appendix 1

 

GENDER ACTION PLAN 2021 - 2024 - DRAFT

 

Gender inequalities are deeply embedded in our social, economic and cultural systems.  There is overwhelming evidence that women disproportionately experience disadvantage and discrimination, a reflection of historical unaddressed inequality, but also that inequalities have been exacerbated by austerity, welfare reform and by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the twenty years since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement’s commitment to the ‘full and equal participation of women in public life’, statistics affirm the persistence of gendered inequalities, which continue to inhibit women’s life opportunities in Northern Ireland. Men will benefit from gender equality as they too face gender-specific issues such as lower life expectancy, bad health, lower education levels and are impacted negatively by rigid gender norms.

 

PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE COUNCIL -to ensure that BCC organisational culture, policies and practices empower talent development at all levels, for elected members and officers and remove any form of discrimination
Action	Year	Who	Cost
Review Terms of reference  /  structure for Women’s Network Group and develop a programme of events and activity.	1	WNG	£5000
Hold annual  IWD event   /  celebrations for staff	1, 2, 3		£6000
Deliver a mentoring programme for staff of all genders	2	HR	£5000
Encourage  all staff to work together to understand and champion gender issues through joint events, communications, workshops, outreach programmes etc	1, 2 3,	HR Depts	Staff resources
Review  and delivery Women’s Leadership Programme for  members and officers to include a focus on resilience and in particular around social media.	1	HR	£12000
Participate in NI Gender  Diversity Charter assessment work towards attaining  Silver level accreditation	1	HR	£2500 pa
Review “on boarding “ for senior staff and all staff to include  leadership responsibilities around equality, diversity and inclusion and responsibilities of all staff	1	HR	Staff resources
Develop/ agree transgender guidance document for staff	1	HR Proud Staff network	Staff resources
Explore and challenge existing culture  / perceptions around “presenteeism” , flexible working at a senior level, long hours culture etc. and develop actions to help address / change culture	2	HR WSG CMT	£1000
Ensure effective promotion of BCC as an employer that values and supports equality and diversity (external website, job info to potential applicants, press releases, City Matters article etc.)	1	HR MarComms Staff networks	Staff resources
Develop and agree Menopause guidance for staff	1	HR Women’s Network Group	Staff resources
Review frontline job opportunities including apprenticeships, and associated working arrangements and facilities, to make these opportunities more attractive to female applicant and promoting BCC role models deliver targeted employability outreach to get more women into work	1, 2, 3	CNS HR Place and Economy	Staff Resources
Retain ‘ platinum level’ status of the Onus Domestic Violence charter by continuing to raise awareness of domestic violence and abuse issues, support staff experiencing domestic violence and abuse and  ensure employees  know what support is available	1, 2, 3	HR	£2000
Review, update and communicate maternity, paternity, and other parental /  caring related guidance for staff and managers , including flexible working,  as part of the review of the Work Life Balance Handbook	2	HR Depts	Staff resources
Allocate a specific Lactation Room for breastfeeding mothers	1	L&CS	FM budget
Develop a communications plan, both internal and external, to engage everyone, not just women, on gender issues.	1	Marketing and Communications HR	Staff Resources
Deliver career planning workshops for staff	2	HR	£3000 pa
PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE COMMUNITY -with the purpose of  increasing  the representation of women in leadership positions throughout communities across Belfast by ensuring that processes are in place to increase women’s involvement in decision making in communities
Fund annual external IWD event.	1, 2, 3	Equality Unit	£6500
Recognise  Transgender Remembrance Day and Transgender Day of Visibility	1, 2, 3	HR Proud Staff network	LGBT+ Action plan
Increase awareness and understanding of the gender spectrum including “non binary”	1	HR HR Proud Staff network	LGBT + action plan
Working with BCC staff networks and external groups, hold a workshop to explore and identify  “intersectionality issues”  where women experience multiple barriers  and identify actions to address	2	HR WSG	£1000
Explore potential for mainstreaming Grow Lead Change programme with potential partners linking with the Community Provision Team to explore opportunities for potential collaboration on community and voluntary sector  capacity building	1	P&E CNS	Staff resources
Hold an event for WSG to engage with the Youth Forum and to identify opportunities for future collaboration  gender issues	2	HR WSG CNS  / YF	£1000
Explore the potential to deliver an external mentoring programme ( BCC senior managers  /  women in communities)  and deliver  as appropriate	1, 2		£3000 (Yr 2)

 

PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE ECONOMY -to ensure all council policies and strategies influence and facilitate the active and fair participation of both women and men in the economy
Identify opportunities for targeted employability outreach, ring fencing, employment academies etc. for women  furthest removed from the labour market including City Deal opportunities	1,2,3	HR/ED Depts	Staff resources  /  Employment Academies
The Northern Ireland Female Enterprise Challenge - A collaborative programme between the 11 Local Councils, Invest NI, and Women in Business NI (WIB) to promote and support female enterprise.  .  This programme also includes sponsorship for the WIB conference.	1	Economic Development	£6,200
Enterprise and Employability support for underrepresented groups – Belfast City Council programme of support to enable underrepresented groups (including females) to overcome the barriers to starting a business or accessing employment opportunities.	1, 2, 3	Economic Development	£90,000
Establish link with Area Partnership Boards where relevant,  and other stakeholder groups  to consider particular needs of women wishing  to start their own business.	1, 2. 3	ED	Staff resources
Work with city partners to deliver a STEM employability event for girls.	3	HR ED External partners	£5000
PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE CITY -to ensure that the needs of women across the city are identified and used to influence and impact upon the regeneration of the city including social infrastructure design and community facilities provision
As part of the ongoing baseline audit of all Council assets determine if Council assets are ‘fit for purpose’ in terms of the needs of all genders and that gender needs are looked at as part of the development of any new council asset. In particular link in with the Clean, Green and Safe survey.	1, 2, 3	Property and Projects Department C&NS Place & Economy Dept	Staff resources   Potential cost if additional works required
Support and raise awareness of the Raise your Voice Project to help address misogyny, sexual harassment and violence, in particular consider engagement with all stakeholders in particular, males.	1	HR External partners	£3000
As part of the ongoing area working /place shaping work and the Physical Investment Programme look at opportunities of how the needs of women can be better met across the city	1, 2, 3	Property & Projects Department Place and Economy C&NS A Strategic Hub External stakeholders	Staff resources Potential associated costs for future GAP
Work with City Partners to retain Onus Safe City status included continued internal training and support and awareness raising. Explore the Safe Haven initiative and its  potential link to Safe City activity.	1, 2, 3	HR CNS ONUS and other external partners	£3000    + PCSP Resource
Explore how the council can support and raise awareness around period poverty and agree actions that the Council can undertake to help alleviate period poverty in our city .	1	CNS WSG	Staff Resources
Develop an Anti-Harassment Policy for all Council facilities and Council-run events ( linking in with Safeguarding Policy and relevant training )	Year 1	HR CNS P&E	£3000

 

TOTAL APPROXIMATE COSTS    Year  -  £43000  (excl ED funded initiatives) 

 

N.B. Where ongoing COVID 19 restrictions limit planned activity, online / remote delivery will be explored and used where possible.

 

 

Appendix 2

 

Belfast City Council – LGBT+ Action Plan 2021-2024 - DRAFT

 

 

            The Members of the Committee agreed to recommend that, in accordance with the Council decision of 4th May, the Chief Executive exercise her delegated authority to adopt the recommendations contained within the report.