Equality, diversity and inclusion commitment

Coventry City Council is committed to:

• Its continuing duty as a public authority to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, and any other conduct prohibited under the Equality Act 2010
• Recognising and celebrating diversity, and ensuring equality of opportunity both as a provider and commissioner of services and as a large employer
• Developing a culture that embeds the effective management of equality, diversity and inclusion in our day-to-day practices, policies, procedures, and through our external relationships

Coventry City Council recognises that people still experience inequality because of their background. The Council will therefore lead by example and challenge discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of:

• Age, disability, gender reassignment, marital and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

Coventry City Council is also committed, as a Marmot City, to reducing health inequalities.  We will do this by acting across a range of policy areas to address environmental, social, cultural and economic factors - with a specific focus on the impacts to disadvantaged groups and deprived areas.

One Coventry

The One Coventry approach is all about working collaboratively together to make the best improvements we can to the services we deliver and make the biggest impact that we can on the lives of local people.

One of the 3 priorities in the One Coventry Plan is ‘Improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities’.  Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is also underpinned by our One Coventry Values.

• We will continue to ensure that the Council meets its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty, building on our successes at fostering good relations between Coventry’s communities of identity and maintaining fair and equal access to Council functions.
• Through ongoing customer monitoring, satisfaction, and engagement approaches, we will strengthen and utilise our growing evidence bases at both corporate and service levels to identify the differential experiences of individual groups in Coventry accessing Council services, and proactively respond to make these as fair and equitable as possible.
• We will strengthen the methodology and governance around our approach to undertaking Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs), ensuring that all Council functions are engaging with, and assessing the impact of their services for Coventry’s communities as appropriate, as well as considering any potential health inequalities on these communities.
• We will also continue to monitor progress against the Council’s equality objectives; these are the identified equality priorities for the Council and the areas which we believe will help deliver improvements on policy-making, service delivery and employment.

Social Value and Sustainability

Coventry City Council recognises the potential and impact of embedding Social Value in our procurement processes and contracts with third parties, as well as in our work with partner organisations and communities.

Implementation of the Social Value and Sustainability Policy will enable us to challenge inequalities and promote inclusion, deliver sustainability, support the local economy and work with the local community; this is an integral part of the Council delivering on its commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion

Employment

Coventry City Council believes in the importance of the principles of Diversity and Inclusion underpinning everything we do.   Our commitment to this is outlined in our Workforce Diversity & Inclusion Policy and put into practice through our Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

• We view diversity as a strength to be harnessed and aim to create an inclusive workplace culture that respects and values difference.
• We aim to promote equality of opportunity as an employer to enable all employees within our workforce to develop and maximise their true and full potential.
• We recognise that individuals still experience discrimination and inequality in our society and therefore as an employer we will take a pro-active approach to identifying and redressing this within the workplace.
• We are clear that we will not tolerate harassment, bullying, discrimination and victimisation of any kind and will regard this behaviour as misconduct which may lead to disciplinary action, including dismissal as appropriate where breaches amount to gross misconduct.

Accountability

The Cabinet Member whose portfolio covers equalities issues will be responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of this policy and the progress made towards delivering against the Public Sector Equality Duty and the commitments contained in this Statement. 

The Chief Executive will hold Directors accountable for taking steps to ensure that this Commitment is promoted, understood and implemented by Council employees. 

All employees of the Council are accountable and responsible for taking steps to promote our equality, diversity and inclusion commitment in their day-to-day work.

Appendix 1 – Organisational Position Statements

Anti-Racism Position Statement

Coventry City Council is committed to ensuring it is an anti-racist organisation, showing that we are aware of both direct discrimination and systemic inequalities that colleagues from minority-ethnic backgrounds may experience. Commitment to anti-racism is an active position of reflection, education, and interrogation, with the goal of equity for all. 

During 2022, Coventry City Council became early adopters of the Race Equality Code. As part of this code, and alongside our One Coventry values and Workforce Diversity and Inclusion strategy, we are committed to:

1. A zero tolerance of racism, harassment, and bullying
2. Recognising that racism may impact the physical, mental, emotional, economic, social, and spiritual health of our workforce and community
3. Eradicating all forms of racism in the workplace, such as direct discrimination, microaggressions and systemic racism
4. Encouraging our workforce to stand up and speak out against racism and discrimination
5. Providing a safe reporting system and responding to all reports of racism and discrimination
6. Recognising the lived experience of our minority-ethnic colleagues  
7. Having clear expectations that all employees are aligned with our One Coventry Values and anti-racism position
8. Providing specific anti-racism training, alongside our mandatory Diversity and Inclusion training
9. Building a workforce that is representative of the diverse population we serve
10. Measuring and monitoring the outcomes of our actions in how they reduce the impact of racism

Gender Diversity Position Statement

Coventry City Council supports and welcomes employees who identify as transgender, non-binary and gender fluid and will take all reasonable measures to ensure they feel valued and welcome.

We will not tolerate discrimination, victimisation, or harassment based on a person’s gender identity, gender expression or trans status. We recognise that trans, non-binary and gender fluid employees contribute a wealth and variety of experience to the Council. By both protecting and working with trans, non-binary and gender fluid communities, this has a positive impact on our organisational priorities and values. We seek to provide a supportive environment for employees who are trans, non-binary or gender fluid and to create a culture and environment where employees can thrive and are well supported during any process of transition.

Pronouns

Coventry City Council supports all colleagues sharing their pronouns at work. Everyone deserves to have their identity respected and using correct pronouns is a sign of mutual respect and courtesy.

We have a responsibility to reflect the diverse communities we serve. Providing colleagues with the option to display their pronouns is important because it encourages allyship towards transgender and non-binary colleagues and citizens. The Council is committed to creating an inclusive workplace through simple, everyday actions that allow all colleagues to thrive and be their authentic selves.

Menopause

Coventry City Council aims to create an open and supportive culture that normalises discussion about menopause at work. The Council has created a Workforce Menopause Pledge that commits to the following:

• Offering menopause training to all managers and employees
• Holding forums for open, positive, and respectful conversation about menopause support in the workplace, including menopause cafés and lunch & learn events
• Offering support via Occupational Health Safety and Wellbeing Service, which includes the menopause clinic
• Keeping menopause on the agenda all year round with communication on support options, resources, and menopause education for all
• Recognising the impact menopause can have on transgender and non-binary colleagues and providing support through an intersectional lens

Halo Code

Coventry City Council champions the right of staff to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black employees’ racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance.

We celebrate Afro-textured hair worn in all styles including, but not limited to, afros, locs, twists, braids, cornrows, fades, hair straightened through the application of heat or chemicals, weaves, wigs, headscarves, and wraps.

At Coventry, we recognise and celebrate our colleagues’ identities. We are a community built on an ethos of equality and respect where hair texture and style have no bearing on an employee’s ability to succeed.

The Council has adopted The Halo Code.