Agenda item

The Leader introduced the report to Cabinet.  The Socio-economic Duty as set out in the Equality Act 2010 required specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, such as deciding priorities and setting objectives, were to give due regard to the need to reduce the inequalities of outcome that resulted from socio-economic disadvantage.

Inequalities of outcome were felt most acutely in areas such as health, education, work, living standards, justice and personal security, and participation.

The Leader invited the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development to present the report.

Welsh Government had the powers to enact this part of the Act, and intended to do so on the 31 March 2021. The duty was intended to complement and not compete with, or override, other statutory duties, for example the Public Sector Equality Duty and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act.

The overall aim of the Duty was to deliver better outcomes for those who experienced socio-economic disadvantage by ensuring that those taking strategic decisions engaged with relevant communities, welcomed challenge and scrutiny, and drove a change in the way decisions were made.

This Cabinet Report proposed short and medium term steps in order to effectively embed the Duty across council decision making processes. This included amending our existing equality impact assessment, providing training to decision makers, and incorporating appropriate measures in our existing performance monitoring frameworks.

Key points

There were close links between the Duty and our existing Strategic Equality and Wellbeing Plans, all of which aimed to reduce inequalities for our most vulnerable or disadvantaged citizens. It also recognised the intersectionality that exists across socio-economically disadvantaged groups and people that shared protected characteristics, for example, we know that BAME and disabled people were also more likely to be experiencing hardship and financial difficulties.

We recognised the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on people’s opportunities and life outcomes in terms of employment, health and participation. The Duty would ensure that we focussed on those people who were living in poverty in Newport, and took steps to lessen this divide which was more important than ever given the impact that COVID-19 had on our communities.

The report highlighted the importance of embedding the Duty in our decision making processes, avoiding tokenism, and ensured our engagement with the Duty is meaningful, with positive outcomes

The Cabinet Member reinforced to Cabinet that this Duty applied to strategic decisions, and was incumbent on those who make decisions at the highest level.

Cabinet Members were encouraged to familiarise themselves with the requirements of the Duty and engage with any training opportunities offered

Comments of Cabinet Members:

Councillor Mayer had been in discussion with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development regarding the report and agreed that the Welsh Government was forward thinking in introducing this Duty and was looking forward to seeing this in action to make sure that everyone done in Newport impacted on the disadvantaged more than it did at present.  The difficulty was embedding this and how to undertake this Duty should not be a bolt on but second nature to everyone.

Councillor Davies wanted to thank the officers for their hard work and the support they would give Cabinet to ensure that the Socio-Economic Duty would be carried out going forward.

Resolved:

Cabinet approved the suggested recommendations included in this report.