At a key meeting this week, senior councillors in Leeds reaffirmed their dedication to advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as a strategy to address poverty and inequality in the city.
During the executive board meeting, councillors reviewed and approved an annual report on EDI, which assessed the progress made and outlined future goals and objectives for both the council and the city. These updates include:
- A focused effort to tackle poverty, recognizing that individuals with protected characteristics under the Equality Act of 2010 are disproportionately affected by poverty, which limits their opportunities and achievements.
- The designation of those with care experience as a locally protected characteristic. This group includes individuals who have been in the care system temporarily or long-term, encompassing both current local authority care children and ‘care leavers’.
- A shift in focus from responding to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic towards supporting carers and establishing Leeds as a Carer Friendly City.
- The strengthening of networks and equality hubs within Leeds, enhancing the participation of children, young people, and carers in crucial decision-making processes.
- Continued promotion and development of Leeds City Council’s organizational values and behaviors to support all staff in achieving their best at work and ensuring fair treatment. The role of staff networks in achieving these goals is encouraged and supported.
The council’s role as an employer, service provider, and community partner forms the foundation for advancing these priorities, contributing to the collective efforts of Team Leeds to foster thriving communities. The report outlines plans for a new cohesion strategy for the city, aiming to unify various stakeholders and agendas. This initiative builds on the progress made under the Intercultural Cities Programme, which was praised by the Council of Europe during their 2022 visit for its efforts to foster intercultural understanding and community integration in Leeds.
The development of the cohesion strategy will be informed by insights from a public survey conducted last year, which identified barriers preventing people from different backgrounds and communities from connecting. The survey also gathered suggestions for overcoming these obstacles. Further input for the strategy will be gathered through ongoing dialogues with community groups, focus groups, stakeholders, partners, and young people, ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive approach to enhancing community cohesion in Leeds.
Leeds City Council executive member for equality, health and wellbeing Councillor Fiona Venner said:
“This report reflecting the work undertaken in Leeds to put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do is really encouraging, but now we want to go further and step up another gear to tackle poverty and inequality and ensure every person in every community in the city can live together in harmony and enjoy the best lives possible.
“Developing a new cohesion strategy and vision is very exciting and important to the future direction of our work in this area, and it very pleasing that care experienced people are now officially recognised in Leeds as a protected characteristic reflecting the incredible and invaluable role they have in our city.”
To view the annual report and its supporting appendices that were reviewed by the executive board, please visit the Council and Democracy section on www.leeds.gov.uk (refer to agenda item 18).
For additional details on the Intercultural Cities Programme, please visit the Intercultural Cities homepage at Intercultural Cities Programme (coe.int).
