The 2010 Equality Act requires public bodies to show how they are advancing the equality agenda. In the current economic climate, this is more important and yet more difficult for local authorities than ever before.
Under the legislation, councils employing more than 150 people will have to produce "equality objectives" at least once every four years. These commitments should show how local government will elimate
discriminiation – including on the grounds of race, gender, religion, disability or sexuality – in their areas. The objectives they set must be specific, and they must be measurable.
Some councils have chosen to focus on one or two agreements for the most disadvantaged groups in society. Cumbria county council looked at the composition of its own staff and talked to local voluntary groups representing black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, disabled and gay, lesbian and transgender people before drawing up its priorities.
"We wanted to identify areas where you could measure improvement," says Joel Rasbash, strategic policy advisor for equalities at Cumbria. The process identified important concerns such as monitoring hate crime in the area. The council has also committed to work with Gypsy, Traveller and Roma families to improve access to education.
Others, including Coventry city council, have drawn up a more comprehensive set of guidelines. After consulting with local people, Coventry ended up with 22 aims for the city. Some are focused on specific groups, such as improving education for Black African communities, but wider targets for cleaner streets and increased life expectancy in deprived neighbourhoods should benefit residents already facing multiple-discrimination.
Jenni Venn, assistant director for policy, partnership and performance, says Coventry "didn't want to lose sight of geographical, social and economic disadvantage" in the area, and so employed the legislation in its broadest sense.
Councils are also using a resource provided by the Local Government Association to help them think about inequality and discrimination. The Equality Framework for Local Government allows councils to test how well they know their communities, their commitment to diversity, the services they deliver and their customer care against equality rules. Councils undergo a peer review and are rated as 'developing', 'achieving' or 'excellent'.
Brighton and Hove council is one of just 10 local authorities rated as excellent under the scheme. Its equality and inclusion policy sets out how it will manage its own services and influence the behaviour of the contractors it works with.
Since establishing a living wage commission, all agency care staff employed through the council are now paid £7.20 an hour. "It may mean we have to pay a little more for some services, but we think it's really important we do that. The minimum wage is not enough to live on," says Ben Duncan, cabinet member for communities and community safety.
Michael Keating leads on equalities and cohesion for the London borough of Tower Hamlets – one of the first councils to achieve excellent status. He believes it is crucial to involve residents in difficult decisions taken by local authorities that could impact on residents' lives.
Last year, Tower Hamlets drew up a neighbourhood agreement with residents on its Boundary Estate and plans to extend this to eight more estates this year. The contracts, designed and agreed by residents and public service providers, detail exactly what services will be provided, how, where, and by by whom. In return, residents take on specific roles and responsibilities themeslves.
But Keating is concerned that not only cuts, but school and welfare reform could slow progress on equality of opportunity in the borough. "Last year 62% of Tower Hamlets pupils achieved five or more good GCSEs – one of the best performances in London. The local authority has worked hard with schools to develop teaching practices for pupils, many of whom have English as a second language," he says.
But with three academies and one free school now open – more in the pipeline – sustaining this partnership will be difficult. Tower Hamlets also plans to set up a fairness commission, similar to those already run in Islington and York, to look at the council's ability to protect the one third of its residents hit by welfare reform.
The Equality Act, however, could offer the chance to place equality at the centre of local government work. "It's not seen as an add-on any more. It's work that people do, day in and day out," says Mohammed Ilyas, policy officer at Harrow council. "I think we have definitely cracked it this time."
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