Community Consultation Survey

Somerset Council would like to highlight an important consultation launch. Help us pick our top three Equalities Objectives to carry forward for 2024-2026. Equality Objectives 2024-28 – Somerset Council – Citizen Space

Your views are extremely valuable to us, as are the ideas and opinions of all our Somerset residents, communities, and businesses.

You’ll find some explanatory text (below) and also attached as a word file, for your convenience.

A link to all our current consultations can be found here: Somerset Council – Citizen Space

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

The Equalities Team

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 Consultation on the Equality Objectives for the period April 2024 to April 2026

 Consultation closes 17 Nov 2023

Somerset Council has adopted the Joint Equality Objectives for the year 23/24 on the basis that during the first year, there will be a review.

The current objectives are:

1. Work with communities to improve the opportunities for integration and cohesion
2. To improve public understanding of mental health
3. Work with the Gypsy and Traveller community to improve relationships
4. Create an Equality Working Group for staff in the Public Sector in Somerset
5. Implement and review the Accessibility Information Standard to create consistency around its implementation

Taking into consideration the data that is available as well as research, and work going on within the Council and the outcomes from the current objectives, the revised long list of objectives has been drafted as follows:

1. Work across council services and with external partners to deliver a minimum of 2 initiatives that will improve people’s access to information and services who are otherwise digitally excluded by December 2025
2. By 2025, and by working with partners from across the County, improve access to, and information about, public amenities and services for those residents who are otherwise excluded by disability
3. To create a viable solution to the delivery of accommodation (transit and permanent) for Gypsy and Traveller community by September 2025
4. A reduction of 15% in the number of cases of school-based peer-on-peer discrimination by April 2026
5. To improve reporting by the LGBTQ+ community of all incidents of hate against them, with improvement seen every 6 months from 1^st October 2024
6. To work with council colleagues and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sector to improve knowledge and understanding about the county’s diverse communities and any tensions and integration issues that exist, delivering innovative solutions by June 2025

The equality objectives will be subject to consultation up until 17 November 2023. The results of the consultation will determine what objectives are taken forward.

As the council continues its work to become a single cohesive organisation through a process of transition and transformation, it has been agreed that the council will take forward the top 3 objectives following consultation for the period April 2024 to March 2026.

Consultation Survey:

https://somersetcouncil.citizenspace.com/communities/equality-objectives-2024-28

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ENDS

Ally Laing

Communications Lead – Members and Stakeholders

Somerset Council

+447989 078188

ally.laing@somerset.gov.uk