Equality and Diversity

Equal Opportunities

Epping Forest District Council is committed to equal opportunities. We are sensitive to the diverse communities we serve and seek to provide facilities and services that are free from unlawful discrimination and reflect the needs and diversity of all our customers.

The Council has both an equal opportunities and an equal opportunities in employment policy which all council employees are required to comply with. These policies aim to promote equality of provision in Council services and equal treatment for all employees or job applicants.

Corporate Equality Action Plan

The Corporate Equality Action Plan builds on future equality developments on a corporate basis, whilst complimenting existing equality work. The Council would welcome comments in respect of the actions detailed in the plan.

Race Equality Scheme

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 placed a positive duty on local authorities and other public bodies to promote race equality. This duty requires all local authorities to take positive actions to seek out discrimination and to take action to address this. The Act also contains some specific duties, which are designed to assist local authorities in fulfilling the general duty. One of the specific duties is that we should produce a Race Equality Scheme that sets out how we will fulfil our statutory duties under the legislation.

Our Race Equality Scheme sets out the provisions of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, what we are required to do under the general and specific duties, and how we intend to do this. It also contains our vision and commitment to equality and how we are working to fulfil this in our role as a provider of services, an employer, an agent of procurement and a partner.

Disability Equality Scheme

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 placed a positive duty on local authorities and other public bodies to promote disability equality. This duty requires all local authorities to take positive actions to seek out discrimination and to take action to address this. The Act also contains some specific duties, which are designed to assist local authorities in fulfilling the general duty. One of the specific duties is that we should produce a Disability Equality Scheme that sets out how we will fulfil our statutory duties under the legislation.

Our Disability Equality Scheme sets out the provisions of the Act, what we are required to do under the general and specific duties, and how we intend to do this. It also contains our vision and commitment to equality and how we are working to fulfil this in our role as a provider of services, an employer, an agent of procurement and a partner.

Gender Equality Scheme

The Equality Act 2006 placed a duty on local authorities and other public bodies to promote gender equality. This duty requires all local authorities to take positive actions to seek out discrimination and to take action to address this.The Act also contains some specific duties, which are designed to assist local authorities in fulfilling the general duty. One of the specific duties is that we should produce a Gender Equality Scheme that sets out how we will fulfil our statutory duties under the legislation.

Our Gender Equality Scheme sets out the provisions of the Act, what we are required to do under the general and specific duties, and how we intend to do this. It also contains our vision and commitment to equality and how we are working to fulfil this in our role as a provider of services, an employer, an agent of procurement and a partner.

Equalities Impact Assessments

We began the development of our equalities impact assessment process in 2004, having first assessed which services were relevant to the duty to promote race equality. At this time assessments were only required in respect of our duty under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. However, our approach at this early stage was to carry out an assessment based upon issues relating to gender and disability as well as race we aimed to look at the whole spectrum of equalities in the approach we took, and this has continued since then. Here is the list of all impact assessments undertaken:

Corporate Support Services

 Deputy Chief Executive’s Unit

 Finance and ICT

  Environmental Services and Street Scene

 Planning and Economic Development

  Housing

  Works Unit

  Assistant to Chief Executive

Other impact assessment work undertaken

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