Full council:  29 March 2021 

Councillor Vanessa Liston: That the council implement an equality impact assessment process as part of the development stages of all council plans and policies. 

Report: Subject to the members approval, the Council is committed to examining this request and will revert to Corporate Policy Group when more information has been gathered. It will also be necessary to consult with the City and County Management Association to ensure consistency across local authorities. 

It is our understanding that Equality Impact Assessment is part of a broader Public Sector Duty objective and would be something that the local authority would have to adopt. As such, it would be an extra step in the development and production of every plan and policy by the local authority. It is not known how this would impact or interact with the legislative framework in which the local authority operates, but can be included as part of the information gathering process and report to CPG. 

Issued by: Ms A Aspell, Director of Service, Housing and Corporate Services.