The essential journalist news source
Back
15.
September
2020.
Roadmap to a fairer, more inclusive capital

 

15/09/20
An ambitious vision for a fairer society where everyone can share in the city's success, has been unveiled by Cardiff Council.

 

A new four-year strategy to promote equality and inclusion and to remove any barriers caused by inequalities that residents may experience towards achieving better outcomes in their lives, has been created to shape a safer, fairer, more inclusive capital.

 

The Council's Equality & Inclusion Strategy for 2020-2024, developed following consultation with residents, community groups, Council staff and partners, is based on four key objectives that will support the journey to becoming a more equal city.

 

The four objectives are:

  1. To develop and deliver services which are responsive to Cardiff's inequality gap
  2. To lead the way on equality and inclusion in Wales and beyond
  3. Cardiff is accessible to everyone who is living, visiting or working in the city
  4. To build an inclusive and representative organisation

 

The new strategy sets out how the Council will seek to achieve these objectives as well as meet its Public Sector Equality Duty, under the Equalities Act  such as eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who don't, as well as fostering good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it.

 

 

The plan has also been revised to reflect the new environment emerging from COVID-19 and the commencement of the Socioeconomic Duty in Wales from 31st March 2021.

 

Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "Cardiff has a reputation as a city of tolerance respect and unity, of which we can be proud and while it is a great place to live, work and play, it  is not immune to the long-standing inequalities and discrimination that affect all major cities.

 

"The city is home to some of the least and most deprived areas in the whole of Wales and the gap between those communities is too wide.

 

"Creating a truly inclusive city means recognising the stumbling blocks of inequality and exclusion and doing everything we can to remove those barriers so that everyone in the city, regardless of their background or in which community they live can access services and reach their potential.

 

"It's means integrating equality into everything we do  - our housing, our schools, our economy, our built environment and infrastructure, as well as as an employer, to deliver high quality, inclusive services and partnerships which actively address inequality and exclusion."

 

Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance, Cllr Chris Weaver, added: "I'm really pleased that we've already making progress on this important agenda with the creation over the summer of a Race Equality Taskforce to address racial discrimination and promote race equality in the city. 

 

"As the capital city, we can lead the way to ensure that Cardiff not only works for our residents, but for the rest of Wales as well. This new strategy is the road map for how will aim to achieve this goal of becoming a fairer, safer, more inclusive Cardiff for all."

 

Cabinet will consider the Equality & Inclusion Strategy for 2020-2024 at its next meeting on Thursday, September 17.