Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

(a)  To agree the minutes of the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Sports and Parks meeting held on 21 April 2016.

(b)  Matters arising

The minutes of the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Sports and Parks meeting held on 21 April 2016 were signed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

Report of the Director of Public Health

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Public Health which provided information on the combined analysis of the Equality and Consultation Analysis (ECA) carried out in 2015/2016. The report included the proposed equality objectives for the Council and provided a summary on the analysis of the ECAs.

In addition, the report sought approval to the terms and reference for the Disability Equality Advisory Panel.

The Council has a duty to set at least one equality objective under the Equality Act (specific duty) Regulations 2011. On 14 April 2016, the Cabinet Member for Community Development, Co-operatives and Social Enterprise approved the approach for setting equality objectives for 2016/17 (their minute 29/15 refers).

Currently the majority of the Council’s key priorities, as set out in the Council Plan, are equality objectives in their own right and have been adopted by the Council as equality objectives for the purpose of the equality duty. The Council regularly monitors, reviews and reports progress on these equality objectives through the Council Plan. At half year stage in 2015/16 there were 59 equality indicators in the Council Plan. The report provided an overview of the current status and change in equality related issues but it was too broad to clearly identify Council’s priorities relating to equalities. The Council’s performance indicators were currently being reviewed therefore this would be an appropriate time to review the way the Council set and monitor equality objectives.

Following collaborative working with the Trade Unions, representatives of Council employees and representatives of the community, 15 equality objectives were being proposed for the Cabinet Member to adopt. These were detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

The equality objectives for the West Midlands Combined Authority were currently being developed in collaboration with the West Midlands Local Authority Equality Network. Once the equality objectives have been developed for the region, they would also form part of the Council’s equality objectives. A report would be submitted to the Cabinet Member once the objectives for the West Midlands Combined Authority have been set.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities:

1.  Approves the equality objectives (Appendix 1) set out for the Council’s key plans and strategies for the next four years or when the Council Plan is reviewed and agrees to receive a report on the progress made twice a year.

2.  Agrees to receive a further report on the equality objectives set for the West Midlands Combined Authority which are currently being developed.

3.  Considers the summary (Appendix 2) on the combined analysis of ECAs and make recommendations for action.

4.  Agrees to approve the terms of reference (Appendix 3) for the Disability Equality Advisory Panel and to agree to receive an annual report on the progress made.

Report of the Executive Director of Resources

The Cabinet Member noted a report of the Executive Director of Resources that identified those issues on which further reports had been requested and were outstanding so that progress could be monitored.

To consider any other items of business which the Cabinet Member decides to take as a matter of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no other items of business.