Outside body

Terms of Reference

The Fairness and Equalities Board is a partnership made up of private, public and voluntary sector representatives working together to create a fairer York, which celebrates diversity and ensures that our respective workforces reflect the wider community, and, in particular, community in which we live.

Members

·     Voluntary Sector: 

o    One person to be appointed by the Voluntary Sector Strategic Forum

o    One person to be co-opted by the board

·     Specialist organisations representing people from the protected characteristics:  Two people to be co-opted by the board

·     Higher York:  One person to be appointed by Higher York

·     Joseph Rowntree Foundation:  One person to be appointed by JRF

·     City of York Council Executive Member:  Ex officio

·     Businesses / Employers:

o    One person to be appointed by the HR Directors Group

o    Two people to be co-opted by the board

·     Additional co-optees:  Up to 6 people to be co-opted by the board (Up to 7 if the Chair falls within this category)

Vision

To ensure that the principles of the Fairness Commission are advanced and to pursue the elimination of poverty in York, and especially that:

·        York has good community relations and that people and groups get on well together

·        Equality of opportunity is increased and everyone can prosper and flourish

·        The city’s workforce is reflective of the wider community and of our community in York

Domains of Work: 2013/15

1.   A fairer York – narrowing the gap in equality outcomes

-         To maintain an overview of progress being made to understand the issues and challenges faced by communities of identity and people from the protected characteristics, using data appropriately, and addressing the gaps in equality outcomes

-         Ensure that the Fairness and Inclusion agenda is at the heart of the city’s economic policy so that economic growth impacts effectively on poverty

-         Place a focus on involving residents in building as well as accessing the resources of the city especially those in more vulnerable communities

-         Reducing income inequality and poverty

2.   Respecting and celebrating diversity

-         To make York a more diverse and welcoming city, creating more opportunity to profile and celebrate York’s diverse communities.

3.   An enabling, positive, diverse workforce

-         To increase corporate social responsibility amongst the city’s employers, joining up employers to encourage good jobs, investment in training and ethical employment practices

-         To promote local procurement that reduces inequalities and promotes good employment practice

-         To promote a workforce that is increasingly diverse

4.   Reducing health inequalities

-         To address Loneliness and Social Isolation as an element of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Operating Principles

The Board will:

-         Champion the Fairness Principles and good equalities practice, influencing and encouraging

-         Challenge others, where appropriate, using data and other evidence to hold to account appropriate organisations, services and/or partnerships

-         Report to and challenge Without Walls (WoW) to make sure that WoW is aware of progress / key issues in delivery of the Fairness and Equalities agenda

-         Take the lead on assigned actions in the ‘City Action Plan’ and advise WoW on the plan

-         Engage with other partnerships that report to WoW

-         Develop good practice for example in the form of tools for other agencies to use

-         Maintain a work programme with specific projects that will advance its agenda

Governance

The board will meet quarterly.

A Chair and Vice Chair will be elected from amongst the membership of the Board on an annual basis.

Organisations with the right to appoint nominees to the board may nominate a standing deputy. In the event that a member is unable to attend the deputy will have the same rights as the member that they are deputising for.

The membership of the partnership shall be reviewed annually prior to the annual meeting of the partnership to be held in June (or as near as possible) of each year.  New members required will be sought using Nolan principles.

The individual term of office will be 3 years for all except the ex officio members.  Members may not be re-nominated until 3 years after they last served.

Minutes of meetings can be found  here