What is the Equality Standard for Local Government?

The Equality Standard for Local Government was launched in 2000.  It was revised in May 2007 by IDeA, the local government organisation responsible for designing the Equality Standard.

It is a performance management framework for delivering all equality based activity by the City Council in relation to employment and service delivery to help mainstream equality and diversity into the Council’s business.

It is made up of 5 levels; each building on the preceding level. Each level has four standard component parts.

The five levels are:

• Level 1-Commitment to a comprehensive equality policy
• Level 2-Assessment and community engagement
• Level 3-Setting equality objectives and targets
• Level 4-Information systems and monitoring against targets
• Level 5-Achieving and reviewing outcomes

The component parts at each level are:-

• Leadership and corporate commitment
• Community engagement and accountability
• Service delivery and customer care
• Employment and training

The Council’s Progress to Date

Prior to the recent changes being introduced, local councils were expected to carry out a self assessment before declaring that they had reached each level. However, in order to be even more robust, in December 2005, the City Council engaged an equalities consultant as its critical friend to make an assessment of our progress against the requirements at Level 3.

After examining a range of evidence and templates explaining the action taken by the City Council at corporate, department and service team level, the consultant provided the Council with the advice that the Authority was working at Level 3.

Going Forward

The City Council is now working towards achieving Level 4 and has set itself a target date of December 2008 to achieve this.

For more information, contact The Equality and Diversity Team on 0115 9156736 (minicom available), fax 0115 9156145 or email equalityanddiversityteam@nottinghamcity.gov.uk