People and Places Board Equalities Advocate

Purpose of report

For information.

Summary

The LGA is developing its approach to equalities issues thorough the work of its boards. Equalities advocates are being identified for each board in order to drive the equalities work. Cllr Kevin Bentley is the equalities advocate for the People and Places Board. Members are invited to provide a steer around how they would like to see equalities issues addressed throughout the work of the People and Places Board.

Recommendation/s Members to provide a steer around how they would like to see equalities issues addressed throughout the work of the People and Places Board. Action/s Officers to follow up on any member recommendations

Contact officer:	Sonika Sidhu

Position:	Principal Policy Advisor

Phone no:	07775802327

Email:	Sonika.sidhu@local.gov.uk

People and Places Board Equalities Advocate

Background

The Executive Advisory Board have asked each Board to identify a member to be an Equalities Advocate within each Board to raise the profile of any equalities issues within the Board’s workstream, to contribute to the cross-cutting work around equalities, and to report into the Executive Advisory Board on equality issues relating to their Board.

The nature of this may vary between different policy areas, but the Advocates aim across all Boards will be to help the Board embed equalities into the work of the Board.

Issues

Within the Board the Advocate will be expected to:

Encourage the Board to consider equality issues in all their work

Challenge the Board to embed equalities into the work of the Board

Hold the Board to account around equalities issues.

Outside of the Board the Advocate will be expected to:

Collaborate with other Equality Advocates from other LGA Boards on cross-cutting equalities issues

Provide input into and feedback to the LGA equalities work programme.

Support: The role will be supported thorugh the normal officer structures which support each Board as we aim for equalities to be embedded in our policy work.

Time commitment: Members may be asked to attend additional meetings to contribute to the cross-cutting equalities work and the development of the equalities policy work programme. Otherwise this is a role that should be performed within the role as member of the Board.

Cllr Kevinn Bentley is the equalities advocate for the People and Places Board.

Next steps

Members to provide a steer about how they would like equalities addressed throughout the work of the board.