Equalities and Access
- Introduction
- Equalities Impact Assessments
Latest Information
- Recent Events
- Race Equality
- Gender Equality
- Disability Equality
- DisabledGo - Freedom and Choice for millions of people
- Equalities Employment Monitoring Statistics
- Information Resources
Introduction
At Canterbury City Council we know that Equality and Access For All are very important to our services, employment and to the district that we represent.
We want to send a clear message that, regardless of people's backgrounds, discrimination against them will not be tolerated.
- We aim to celebrate diversity in all aspects of our service delivery and employment.
- We aim to put equalities, inclusion and access at the heart of everything we do.
We view diversity as a resource, as a strength and as an opportunity to help us improve services and are committed to making our services and employment equally accessible to everyone.
We welcome the increasing diversity in our society and we will try to meet the needs of our diverse society. As a council we are determined to make real improvements to the lives of everyone in Canterbury, regardless of race, colour and ethnicity, gender, disability, age, sexuality or their faith and belief.
We understand that sometimes people are multiply disadvantaged as individuals and aim therefore to be flexible and forward thinking in our efforts to provide services and employment.
We want to engage effectively with all our customers and achieve the council's vision of Putting People First and building a better Canterbury district for all our citizens.
Single Equalities Impact Assessments
The council is currently undergoing an assessment of its services, policies and procedures to see how they impact on different sections of the community. The impact is considered with reference to:
Age
Disability
Gender
Race, Ethnicity and Colour
Religion or Belief
Sexual Orientation
Please click on the headings below to read the full impact assessments completed to date (Microsoft Word format).
- Development Services
- ICT and Central Services
- Benefits, Welfare visiting policy
- Billing and collection of council tax
- Cashiering Service
- Community Business Unit/ Concessionary Travel Scheme
- Street Scene
- Parking Services and PARC Plan
- Transportation and Engineering
For more information, feedback or any comments on the council's single equalities impact assessments please email equalities@canterbury.gov.uk or contact Angeliki Ioannidou on 01227 862 564
Latest Information
Find out what's new and what's going on:
Help us plan our Equalities Event!
At Canterbury City Council we know that Equality and Access for all are very important to the district we represent.
Canterbury City Council, Kent County Council, Kent Police, Thanet District Council, Pride in Canterbury, East Kent LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Network and Canterbury Area Gay Men's Group are jointly organising an open day/event.
The aim of the event is to promote community dialogue and raise awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues in an interesting, entertaining and educational way.
Canterbury City Council and its partners are holding an informal meeting to help plan and fix a date for this event. The informal meeting will take place on Thursday 19 June at 6.15pm at Westgate Hall, Canterbury.
Local residents, community groups and employers are all welcome to attend the informal meeting. Please come to the meeting to share your views, comments, and concerns with us.
If you would like to attend please contact the City Council's Policy Adviser on Equalities and Access, Angeliki Ioannidou on 01227 862 564 or email equalities@canterbury.gov.uk
The East Kent LGBT Network is establishing computer knowledge sharing among small groups of gay men, women and young people at the East Kent Umbrella Centres. All are welcome. For more information email Alan Williams: trasw1@yahoo.co.uk or email Angela Boote: angieboote@aol.com .
Postal address: Ramsgate Youth &Community Centre, High Street, Ramsgate, Kent, CT11 0QG
Recent Events
On Friday 10 May at the Friends Meeting House, The Friars, Canterbury, Pride in Canterbury be presented a talk on the importance of good mental health to the LGBT community 'Why Canterbury needs pride' by Counsellor and Psychosexual Therapist John Dixon. That was a talk that was relevant to all members of the community and everyone was welcome. For more information visit Pride in Canterbury.
Canterbury Equalities Week started on Monday 8 and ended on Saturday 13 October.
The week included a series of exciting free events, talks and exhibitions for children, young people and their families across the district and it was well attended by both local people and visitors.
On Friday 16 November at The Friends Meeting House, The Friars, Canterbury, Pride in Canterbury presented a rehearsed reading of the play 'So Long Sleeping Beauty' by author and actress, Isobel Mahon, which was featured last year as Radio 4's "Afternoon Play".
A recently widowed woman meets the man with whom her husband had a secret relationship for years. The play is a moving, amusing and intriguing study of the implications of one particular bisexual relationship. The reading was followed by a discussion on the issues raised. For more information visit Pride In Canterbury.
Race Equality
Canterbury City Council's current commitment to tackling inequality and promoting good race relations is embodied in the Equalities and Inclusion Policy adopted in April 2005.
We will make sure we do not discriminate against any individual or group either directly or indirectly because of race, ethnicity or colour.
The council recently reviewed and updated its Race Equality Scheme and Action Plan. The revised Race Equality Scheme and Action Plan 2007 were published in 2 August 2007 and outline what the council is doing in order to meet its statutory obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RRAA). The council aims to eliminate racial discrimination and harassment that is unlawful Race Relations Act (1976) and promote equal opportunities and good race relations between people of different racial groups living and visiting the district..
Gender Equality
We intend to do what we can to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment; and promote equality of opportunity between man and woman. Please share your views and experiences with us.
From April 2007 the council will be legally required to ensure all its activities meet Gender Equality requirements - both in terms of employment, and also with regard to every aspect of service planning and delivery.
We will therefore be required to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment; and
- Promote equality of opportunity between men and women
Under this the duty the council is required to produce a Gender Equality Scheme - a plan outlining our goals and targets for achieving them.
The 2007 Gender Equality Questionnaire and a covering letter was sent out to a representative sample of 5,000 households and to local faith, community and voluntary organisations around the district.
The Consultation ended on Friday 2 February 2007.Thank you to everyone who answered the questionnaire and shared their views about gender equality with us. The results of the survey helped us to develop our first Gender Equality Scheme and Action Plan that were published in April 2007.
Disability Equality
Thank you for sharing your views about disability equality with us. Your feedback has helped us to develop our final Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan that were published in December 2006.
DisabledGo - Freedom and choice for millions of people
Launched to mark the European Year of Disabled People, DisabledGo is an ambitious Internet service which will transform the daily choices available to millions of disabled people, their families and friends. Founded by wheelchair user Gregory Burke and supported by Marks & Spencer and leading local authorities, this innovative service is opening up towns and cities across the UK.
Canterbury City Council has signed up to the DisabledGo project. DisabledGo have undertaken an access survey across the district. The access guide is available on-line, and allows people to accurately access services, entertainment and information on venues including restaurants and shops. Disabled people can find out whether a venue is suitable for their particular access needs. The Canterbury DisabledGo website was launched in May 2006 and received over 10,000 hits in its first two months of operation.Equalities employment monitoring statistics
Canterbury City Council monitors employees, applicants for jobs and leavers by ethnicity, gender, age and whether they are disabled. We do this to check whether our workforce matches the profile of the local community.
Information resources
- Equalities and Inclusion policy (37 page, 96kb Adobe Acrobat PDF)
- Summary version of the Equalities and Inclusion policy (12 page, 218kb Adobe Acrobat PDF)
- Homophobic incident reporting line
- Kent Racial incident reporting line
- Disability Hate Crime
- Useful links
- Gypsies and Travellers
- LGBT issues
If you have any questions on Equalities and Access please contact Angeliki Ioannidou on 01227 862 564.
