The council, recognising its responsibilities as a provider of major services within the community, will ensure that its services, including the ones carried out in partnership with or on behalf of the council, are available equally to all, making sure that no one is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be justified.
The Equality and Diversity statement is Cheshire West and Chester Council’s formal commitment to delivering fairness and “removing the barriers that limit what people can do and can be”. It is a promise that the council will work hard to respond to local challenges, to tackle prejudice and improve the life chances and opportunities of those who face discrimination and disadvantage.
Equality monitoring is the process of gathering and analysing data on the equality strands. The equality strands are race, sex, disability, sexuality, religion or belief, age and pregnancy and maternity, disability, sexuality, religion or belief, age and pregnancy and maternity.
The Council collects equality monitoring information to highlight possible inequalities, investigate their underlying causes and to remove any unfairness or disadvantage. The gathering of information of this nature is essential to provide equal access to our service for everyone, and that we can demonstrate this is the case should we be asked to prove it.
Monitoring lets the Council see how services have operated in the past, but more importantly can be used to inform actions and future service delivery by providing data for the review of policies and identifying areas requiring improvement.