Issue - meetings

The Director of Customer & Communities to present a report which sets out a city-wide strategy and action plan from the independent and cross-sectional working group led by Inclusive Equal Rights UK 3.0 (IERUK), and asks Executive to agree a response and to recommend the strategy to Council.

Resolved:  (i)      That the Strategy and Action Plan at Annex A to the report be noted.

                  (ii)     That the council’s response to the Strategy and Action Plan and the next steps, including a clear commitment in the new Council Plan and a detailed plan of delivery within three months, be agreed and that officers be instructed to carry out the steps identified.

                  (iii)     That it be noted that a further report will be presented to Executive within three months in response to the strategy, making recommendations for change where actions can be implemented in the short term and also identifying medium and longer-term measures .

Reason:  To demonstrate the City of York Council’s commitment to being an Anti-Racist City.

[See also under Part B]

The Director of Customer & Communities presented a report which introduced a city-wide Strategy Report and Action Plan (the Report) from the independent and cross-sectional working group led by Inclusive Equal Rights UK 3.0 (IERUK), and asked Executive to agree a response and to recommend the Report to Council. 

The Report, attached as Annex A to the cover report, reflected the fact that although York was a truly multi-cultural city, people of colour continued to be adversely affected by a failure of organisations and institutions in the city to treat them with fairness, dignity and respect.  Haddy Njie, the Chair of IERUK, and Gary Craig, a member of the working party responsible for accumulating data for the Report, were in attendance at the meeting to set the Report in context and explain the sources of the data that underpinned it.  In doing so, they addressed the criticisms of the Report received from some quarters on its release and expressed their views on these negative comments.

In supporting the proposals, the Executive Member for Finance, Performance, Major Projects and Equalities thanked all those involved in bringing the Report forward, described the negative responses received as ‘appalling and despicable’ and highlighted the need to work together to tackle racism in the city and secure better ethic minority representation in its public institutions.  Her comments were echoed by the Leader and other Members.

Resolved:  (i)      That the Strategy and Action Plan at Annex A to the report be noted.

                  (ii)     That the council’s response to the Strategy and Action Plan and the next steps, including a clear commitment in the new Council Plan and a detailed plan of delivery within three months, be agreed and that officers be instructed to carry out the steps identified.

                  (iii)     That it be noted that a further report will be presented to Executive within three months in response to the strategy, making recommendations for change where actions can be implemented in the short term and also identifying medium and longer-term measures .

Reason:  To demonstrate the City of York Council’s commitment to being an Anti-Racist City.