RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet agreed to go out to public consultation on the draft Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy prior to a final version being presented to Council for adoption in November 2023.

B. That Cabinet delegated the authority to agree the final version of the Strategy, for submitting to Council, to the Cabinet Member for Civic Pride in order to enable a longer consultation timescale.

C. That Cabinet noted that in addition to the nine Protected Characteristics defined by the Equality Act the scope of the strategy has been extended to include care experienced young people, armed forces veterans, single parent households and socio-economic status.

D. That Cabinet noted the proposed consultation timeline.

E. That Cabinet noted the proposed duration of the Strategy is intended to align both with the end date of the new Council Plan and to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s requirement that Councils publish updated equalities objectives every four years.