Councilors in Edinburgh today approved a new four-year framework setting out the Council’s ambitions to advance equality and promote diversity as the city rebuilds after the pandemic.
Following consideration at Policy and Sustainability Committee earlier today, the Equality and Diversity Framework 2021-2025 was given the green light.
The framework, developed jointly by the Council and partners, includes a new set of equality outcomes and mainstreaming actions across key areas of the Council’s work and aligns these with the Council’s new Business Plan 2021-2024.
Its core aim is to bring tangible improvements to the lives and experiences of people living in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Through the mainstreaming actions, equality will be integrated into the day-to-day working of the Council.
Five key equality outcome themes have been established in the framework, namely:
- • Inclusive communities
- • Accessing facilities and support
- • Having a warm and affordable home
- • Improved health, wellbeing and attainment for young people
- • Diverse and inclusive workplace
The Council worked collaboratively on the framework with partner organisations, including City of Edinburgh and Midlothian Education Authorities, NHS Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian Council, Midlothian and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnerships. Officers also worked closely with the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and the Edinburgh Licensing Board.
A huge range of stakeholders from across the region were contacted directly and invited to feed in their comments, including disability groups, religious associations, equalities organisations, community councils and groups, charities and tenants’ federations, among many more.
A public consultation was held online, given Covid restrictions, from 3 November to 22 December 2020, to find out what was most important to Edinburgh citizens. Extended social distancing measures meant that most engagement activity was online, with additional methods including paper versions of the consultation, a child-friendly survey, BSL videos and interpretation and translation available on request.