Watford Borough Council Draft Single Equality Scheme January 2010
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Appendix i – Draft Single Equality Scheme Watford Borough Council Draft Single Equality Scheme January 2010
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2Contents
Welcome from Councillor Bernadette Laventure 4
Introduction 5
Watford’s equalities and diversity policy statement and commitment 6
Meeting our statutory responsibilities through a Single Equality Scheme 6
A framework for action 8
Responsibility for delivery 8
Monitoring and Review 9
Overall outcomes for our Single Equality Scheme 10
Map of the borough 12
A Portrait of Watford 13
Age equality 14
Disability equality 17
Gender equality 21
Race equality 23
Religion and belief equality 25
Sexual orientation equality 26
Other equality strands – Deprivation 27
Our role as an employer 28
Our workforce 29
Equality impact assessments 34
Appendix A – current legislation 36
Appendix B – Equality impact assessment timetable 38
Appendix C – Single Equality Scheme action plan 2010-13 42
3Welcome from Councillor Bernadette Laventure
I am pleased to introduce Watford Borough Council’s first Single Equality Scheme.
Watford is a diverse borough with people of many different backgrounds and life
experiences living side by side. It is the richness of this diversity and the positive impact
that it has on the town and our community that we believe is one of our main strengths
and helps make Watford such a great place to live, work or visit.
We know that the borough’s diversity is something to value and encourage and this
Single Equality Scheme shows the council’s commitment to maintaining and building on
our strengths by ensuring equality and diversity is integral to everything we do.
As an employer, we are pleased that we employ a diverse workforce; this diversity helps
the council understand and relate to the community it serves. Through our recruitment
policies and practices we will aim to have a diverse workforce and we will put in place
what might be needed to encourage all our community to consider us somewhere they
would like to work.
In this Scheme we set out our understanding of the issues facing Watford and our plans
for tackling them. We describe how we aim to tackle all forms of discrimination and
promote good relations in the community. Our overall ambition is to champion diversity
and promote equality in everything we do.
We were delighted to be one of the first district authorities in England to achieve Level 3
of the Equality Standard for Local Government and we are now looking to be externally
assessed under the new Equalities Framework as an ‘achieving’ authority. We believe
this will help ensure we are focusing on the priority areas for our community and that the
Scheme integrates with, and underpins, the council’s other plans and strategies.
We know we can only achieve our aims by working in partnership with people. We will
continue to work closely with One Watford (our local strategic partnership) and with our
community and voluntary sector and build on our good reputation of listening and
engaging with local people. We know our plans can only be effective if they respond to
people’s experience of living, working or visiting Watford.
Councillor Bernadette Laventure
Watford Borough Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for equalities and
diversity
4Introduction
This Single Equalities Scheme recognises the important role that public organisations
such as Watford Borough Council play in advancing equality and promoting diversity in
Britain today. As a major employer in the borough and a provider of a wide range of
services, Watford Borough Council can play a significant role in improving the lives of
people who might experience disadvantage.
This Scheme provides a framework that will support our aim of mainstreaming equalities
into all aspects of employment, policy-making and service delivery. We acknowledge
that a measure of its success will be that we meet our extended statutory obligations
(see Appendix A) but we also want it to be a Scheme that makes a real difference to the
quality of lives of our community.
We acknowledge that in society individuals and groups may face disadvantage and
discrimination (whether intentional or unintentional) based on background and/or
personal circumstance.This Scheme looks at what we can do as an organisation to
eliminate this discrimination and where our work in partnership can also address the
issues faced by members of our community.
Whilst the scheme will run for 3 years (2010-2013), it is a live document which will be
developed and updated through the course of each year to reflect progress on targets
and new areas of work.
What we mean by equality and diversity
There are many definitions of equality and diversity but we see their definition as:
What we mean by equality
Equality is about creating a fairer society where everyone can participate and has the
same opportunity to fulfill their potential. It is about treating everyone with fairness,
respect and appropriately for their needs. Equality is a legal right for us all and is often
associated with complying with the law on grounds such as gender, race, disability, age,
sexual orientation and religion or belief.
What we mean by diversity
Diversity is based on recognising and valuing difference that can impact on us all
because we are all different in fundamental ways in terms of our varied needs, ethnic
backgrounds, age, culture, lifestyles, skills and abilities, family makeup, education, the
areas where we live. By recognising these differences we can create a productive and
effective workforce to deliver services to meet the needs of diverse communities.
5Watford’s equalities and diversity policy statement
Watford Borough Council seeks to create and maintain a borough in which each person has
an equal entitlement and access to quality services and employment opportunities,
irrespective of their race, religion or belief, disability, age, gender, gender reassignment,
sexual orientation, family circumstances, marital status or financial status.
As a local authority we aim to provide services that are open, accessible end responsive to
all our residents, service users and visitors to the town. As an employer we aim to ensure
that we effectively use the skills and experience of our community and provide opportunities
for employment and to ensure our workforce also recognises our commitment to providing
equality of opportunity. We want all our residents to feel part of Watford and we seek to
provide everyone with the opportunity to contribute to the plans and decisions that will shape
its future.
Our equalities and diversity policy statement sets out our commitment to:
Promote the principles and practices of equality throughout the council
and the borough, as well as with appropriate multi-agency partnerships
Implement clear internal policies and procedures, to address inequality and ensure that
all employees and service users are not discriminated against on the basis of race,
gender, disability, age, religion and belief, gender reassignment or sexual orientation
Challenge when we see unfair discrimination and harassment
Promote good relations between people of different races
Promote equality of opportunity for disabled people and between men and women
Promote equality of opportunity for people of all ages, sexual orientation, religions or
belief
Undertake effective and meaningful consultation and encourage active community
participation and involvement in decisions
Ensure that recruitment procedures provide equality of access for all staff and local
communities
Assess, monitor and evaluate the implementation of all our policies through Equality
Impact Assessments, making appropriate adjustments where necessary
Meeting our statutory responsibilities through a Single Equality Scheme
Our equalities policy and this Single Equality Scheme (SES) will ensure compliance with
current UK equalities legislation. Full details of this legislation can be found in Appendix A.
Preparing and publishing an equality scheme is currently a legal requirement for race,
gender and disability and it should show how we are meeting our statutory obligations for
these equality strands.
We believe one overarching Single Equality Scheme (SES) is a positive step forward in
making clear our commitments to equality and diversity and identifying our priority outcomes,
as well as meeting our statutory requirements under equalities legislation.
This Single Equality Scheme will:
Provide an overarching framework which ensures a cohesive and integrated approach to
equality and diversity across the council
Show that the council has committed resources to recognising and valuing diversity and
improving equality practice
6 Demonstrate the links between the borough’s Sustainable Community Strategy, our
corporate plan and other key strategies and plans
Set out our strategic aims and objectives for equality and diversity
Identify roles and responsibilities
Show how we will measure our progress
Promote good relations between people of different backgrounds, equality groups and
the wider community in line with the council’s commitment to effective community
engagement and community cohesion
Seek to achieve a workforce that reflects our diverse population and promotes an
inclusive working culture based on respect
Provide the framework to help us meet the requirements set out in the Equality
Framework for Local Government
Set out arrangements for:
Assessing and monitoring policies and functions for any adverse impact
in relation to the six strands i.e. do any of our policies and functions
unintentionally disadvantage any parts of our community
Consulting on the likely impact of proposed policies and functions in
relation to the six strands and other identified issues such as deprivation
Publishing the results of assessments, monitoring and consultation
Making sure that the public have access to information and services
Ensuring staff and members have the skills and knowledge they need
7A framework for action
Strategic framework
Watford Borough Council’s long-term vision as set out in the Sustainable Community
Strategy for the borough is ‘a town to be proud of where people will always choose to
live, work and visit’. It is a vision the council shares with the borough’s Local Strategic
Partnership – One Watford. Key to both the partnership and the council’s delivery of this
vision is to ensure equalities and diversity are an integral part of everything it does to
improve the quality of life in Watford. This includes ensuring this SES reflects both the
borough’s Sustainable Community Strategy and the council’s corporate plan and supports
the delivery of the priorities and outcomes identified within them.
Although the commitments set out in this SES cut across all the Sustainable Community
Strategy and council objectives, the delivery of the council’s equalities agenda makes a
significant contribution to: ‘a well-informed community where everyone can contribute’.
However, the work detailed in the action plan that accompanies this scheme will also support
delivery of other One Watford objectives including ‘a safer town’ and ‘a healthy town’.
In terms of the council’s own objectives, the SES makes a significant contribution to
delivering the objective of: ‘Supporting individuals & the community’, although, just as for the
Sustainable Community Strategy, the Scheme will also impact across wider areas of our
work and priorities and will require the input of a number of our services and effective co-
ordination between them to both identify and address issues.
In order to achieve our vision and priorities, the council has adopted a number of corporate
strategies and plans – including our overarching corporate plan that is reviewed and
published each year. It is expected all of these will reflect our commitment to the delivery of
this Scheme.
Responsibility for delivery
Elected members
Watford’s elected members have overall responsibility for the Council’s Single Equality
Scheme. The Cabinet member for Corporate Services has the executive responsibility for
promoting equality and diversity across all our services as well as those delivered on our
behalf by other organisations. Elected members will:
Be familiar with this Single Equality Scheme and understand how it affects their role
Observe and promote the council’s equality policies in the performance of their roles and
duties
Approve policies in relation to equalities and diversity
Leadership team
Our Leadership Team is responsible for the strategic direction and for the overall
implementation of the Scheme, including: making sure that equalities is central to all work
done by the council, setting out what we aim to achieve in terms of equality and diversity,
and holding services to account for the action plan as they are ultimately responsible for the
delivery of the Scheme, through service and team workplans and individual appraisals.
Leadership team will:
Provide direction and recommend to Cabinet policies and plans in relation to equalities
and diversity
Ensure that there are sufficient resources, including staff time, to implement the Scheme
Encourage the integration of equalities into all the services provided by the council
8 Ensure that we fulfill our stated aims and responsibilities as an employer and service
provider with respect to equalities
Monitor and review this Scheme quarterly/annually
Managers
All managers must be familiar with the Scheme and be responsible for ensuring equality and
diversity is an integral part of any policy development, service design and delivery,
employment practices; and procuring and commissioning of goods and services. Managers
will:
Carry out equality impact assessments, monitoring and reporting of outcomes in their
service areas and in accordance with this scheme
Reflect the council’s equalities aims and objectives in service plans and unit plans
Ensure that all employment related issues are dealt with in accordance with the council’s
equal opportunity policies and the law
Ensure that they carry out the council’s procurement activities in accordance with the
procurement strategy
Staff
All staff including those we work in partnership with, and who are contracted or
commissioned to work on our behalf, have a responsibility to promote equality including in
relation to procurement and commissioning; eliminate discrimination in their day to day work,
and recognise and respect the different backgrounds and circumstances of people in line
with the council’s policies and procedures.
Monitoring and Review
As well as the responsibilities for the delivery of our equalities and diversity agenda, the
council has structures in place to ensure this Scheme and associated action plan are
delivered, and regularly monitored, reviewed and refreshed. These are:
Internally – the Corporate Equalities Working Group, which has representatives of all
our services. It meets every other month and has responsibility for embedding and
mainstreaming equalities and diversity into all aspects of the council’s work. It will
regularly monitor progress against this Scheme and ensure relevant actions are
incorporated in relevant service plans and unit workplans
Internally – Partnerships and Performance, which will be responsible for developing
quarterly reports for Leadership Team on progress against the council’s equalities
agenda and an annual report for Leadership Team, Cabinet, Call-In and Performance
Scrutiny Committee and One Watford Equality Panel. This will also be published on our
website and a summary published in About Watford and Wat’s Up. Partnership and
Performance is also responsible for consultation and so any relevant results from
consultation in relation to the Scheme and action plan will also be published on the
internet, in About Watford and on the intranet
Externally – the One Watford Equality Panel, which is made up of representatives
from various community groups including Watford Talking Newspaper, the Multiple
Sclerosis Society, Watford Indian Association, Watford Muslim Project, Watford Chinese
Association, Watford Women’s Centre, Watford Deaf Club, Watford Humanist
Association. The Panel will receive annual reports on progress against the Scheme and
will be able to feed into the ongoing process of review and monitoring
9Overall outcomes for the Single Equalities Scheme
As well as the individual actions we will take to promote equalities across all our equality
strands there are some key outcomes we want to achieve as an organisation that have an
impact across more than one or all of the strands. These are actions we want to take as an
organisation to build improved understanding of our community and to encourage greater
engagement with local people that will help shape and influence how we deliver our services.
They also ensure we meet all our obligations under current legislation; we have a ‘general
duty’ to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and good community
relations between people of different backgrounds. This general duty is supported by a
number of specific duties, which are addressed through the cross cutting outcomes below.
We know this Scheme cannot work in isolation from everything we are trying to achieve as
an organisation and through our partnerships – particularly One Watford – and so it is
important that we clearly identify how what we are planning to do to progress equalities in
Watford links to our corporate outcomes.
The cross cutting outcomes to be delivered by this Scheme are:
Single Equality Scheme outcomes Links to corporate objectives
Recognition as an ‘achieving’ local authority Supporting individuals and the community
under the Equality Framework for Local
Government
Increased prosperity and life chances Supporting individuals and the community
amongst our identified vulnerable groups to
Improved our understanding of our Supporting individuals and the community
community both through engagement and
through better use of new technology e.g.
MOSAIC / GIS to better target our services to
need
Improved our understanding of our Securing an efficient, effective, value for
customers and who does and does not money council
access our services to ensure there are no
unintentional barriers to people using our
services
Provided specialist training for staff on Securing an efficient, effective, value for
collecting monitoring information and ensure money council
there is user-friendly information (e.g.
postcard) to let people know why we are
collecting the information
Ensure councillors and staff have up-to-date Securing an efficient, effective, value for
and relevant knowledge and understanding money council
of equalities issues to support their work in
delivering the council’s equalities agenda
10Single Equality Scheme outcomes Links to corporate objectives
Assess the impact of policies and strategies Securing an efficient, effective, value for
to ensure they are meeting their equalities money council
expectations and are not unfairly
discriminating against or disadvantaging any
particular equalities group
Ensure that local people have up-to-date and Supporting individuals and the community
relevant information on the council’s
equalities and diversity agenda
Ensure the revised Customer Access Supporting individuals and the community
strategy addresses the needs of the
equalities strands
Involve our community in developing this Supporting individuals and the community
Scheme so that it has ownership amongst
our residents, stakeholders and partners
Review this Scheme annually with the Supporting individuals and the community
support of One Watford Equality Panel as
well as Cabinet, Leadership team, Scrutiny
and Corporate Equalities Working Group to
ensure outcomes are being achieved
Work with partners to develop joined up Influence and partnership delivery
solutions to equalities issues where
partnership working identified as the most
effective way of working. This includes the
work of One Watford and its associated
partners and sub groups
The actions we will take to deliver these outcomes are outlined in our action plan (Appendix
C).
11The borough of Watford
12A portrait of Watford1
Our Single Equality Scheme, our equality objectives and what we want to achieve for
Watford are built on a sound understanding of our community. From this understanding, we
can identify which issues we need to address and what our equality priority areas for action
against each of the strands should be. These and the actions identified above form our SES
action plan.
The information below sets out Watford’s population broken down by the six equality strands
together with a portrait of the borough that provides the backdrop for equality monitoring and
activity.
This information is only a snapshot and cannot tell us all we need to know about our
community and we need to keep in mind that our community and its needs will constantly
change over time. However, it is a good starting point to help us think about where we need
to focus and the impact of our work when considering our duties.
Watford the place
Watford is one of ten districts in the county of Hertfordshire. Although it is part of the Eastern
region of England it is close to London, is located within the M25 and in many ways has more
in common with some outer London and other urban boroughs in the country than its
Hertfordshire neighbours. It is a very small borough in terms of area – just 21 square
hectares. With a population of 81,000 people (mid-2008 population) this makes it the most
densely populated district in the country. This in itself presents challenges for the council as
does the town’s regional reputation as an excellent centre for shopping, business,
entertainment and leisure, which attracts tens of thousands visitors to the borough each
week. It is estimated that over 500,000 people live within 20 minutes of the town and that the
population doubles during the daytime. For example, Watford is often cited as a place with
higher than average crime levels. However, a deeper analysis of the figures shows two
critical issues. One is that when we look at the crime figures they are reported as per head
of population. Given that Watford’s population is around 81,000 (see below), the crimes
committed in the town can only be reported as divided by the 81,000 not the number of
people who actually visit us, which always makes the final figure look high. In addition, an
analysis of crimes committed against the home addresses of the perpetrators shows that
around two thirds are committed by people who are not Watford residents.
Watford People
Overview
Total population 2001 2008
79,726 81,000
The government released projected population growth figures in 2006. These projected
Watford would reach a population of 81,000 by 2011. The current mid year estimates show
our population has already grown beyond the expected rate. The projection for 2020 is
84,900 but it is likely that this will be exceeded, based on current figures and rate of growth.
1
Majority of information taken from census 2001 and Portrait of Watford 2009
13Age
Unlawful age discrimination happens when someone is treated unfavourably because of
their age or is harassed or victimised because of their age. Age discrimination or
disadvantage can often be unintentional and a consequence of organisations not thinking
through the implications of the way they work or the application of a policy. People of all
ages (both old and young) can experience age discrimination and disadvantage.
.
According to the 2008 mid-year statistics, 12.94% of our population is over the age of 65,
which is lower than the proportion of over 65s in England as a whole (16.10%). Currently, our
population is relatively young and is heavily skewed towards the 0-14 and 25-44 age groups.
0-14 year olds account for 18.7% of the population, compared with 16.7% of Hertfordshire’s
population and 17.7% of England’s population. An even larger disparity is the proportion of
25-44 year olds in Watford compared with Hertfordshire and England, accounting for 33.2%,
23.7% and 28.6% respectively.
Watford age profile
Age Number Percentage
(in
thousands)
0 1.3 1.6%
0-4 4.4 5.43%
5-9 4.6 5.68%
10-14 4.9 6.05%
15-19 4.9 6.05%
20-24 4.9 6.05%
25-29 6.2 7.65%
30-34 6.9 8.52%
35-39 6.9 8.52%
40-44 6.9 8.52%
45-49 5.9 7.28%
50-54 4.6 5.68%
55-59 4.0 4.93%
60-64 3.8 4.69%
65-69 2.8 3.46%
70-74 2.5 3.08%
75-79 2.2 2.71%
80-84 1.6 1.97%
85-89 1.0 1.23%
90+ 0.4 0.49%
At present, Watford has a higher than average working age population and lower than
average numbers of people of retirement age and over. However, like many areas of the
country, population projections for the next 10 and 20 years show that the over 65s
population in the district will increase.
148000
7000
6000
5000
65-74
4000 75-84
85+
3000
2000
1000
0
Mid 2008 est 2020 projection 2030 projection
Based on current figures, one ward in Watford (Nascot) is in the top 10 wards in
Hertfordshire for the number of residents aged 65+. Nascot also has the highest number of
85+ residents of any ward in Hertfordshire. Meriden ward is in the top 20 in Hertfordshire for
residents aged 65+.
Age can have an impact across a number of areas and is particularly related to disability –
see the section on disability below. It can also, but not necessarily, link to poverty and
deprivation. For example, in the 2001 census Watford had the highest proportion of 65+
living in homes without central heating.
This Scheme considers deprivation – see below for more detail– but one analysis of
deprivation shows that three areas in Watford are amongst the worst 20 in the county for
income deprivation affecting older people (the areas are in Holywell, Vicarage and Central
wards). Income deprivation is defined as those adults 60 or over living in pension credit
households as a proportion of all those 60 or over. When looking at similar data for children,
Watford has four areas that are amongst the worst 20 in the county for income deprivation
affecting children (again the areas are in Central (1), Holywell (2) with the fourth in Meriden)
In addition, the Place Survey 2008 found that people aged 65+ were significantly less
satisfied with their homes and neighbourhoods than the county, regional or national average.
Hertfordshire County Council (a One Watford partner) has identified Watford, and some of
our more deprived wards, as priorities for improving understanding of issues facing our 65+
population and will be targeting resources in Watford during 2010. These include the use of
community agents and the use of first contact check lists both of which are designed to offer
a better joined up approach between key agencies to identify and address the needs of
older people so they can be more targeted in the support they offer.
Age We have …. We will …..
Worked with our district children’s Improve our engagement with young
trust partnership to review the people, particularly looking at social
borough’s Youth Council to provide media channels
young people in the borough with a
voice
15Age We have …. We will …..
Run an online chatroom to get real See above
time information from young people
on their views of the borough
Since May 2009, welcomed 6 school Continue our outreach programme to
and other young people’s groups to schools to build understanding of local
the Town Hall to build their democracy including visits from
understanding of local democracy schools and visits by the Mayor
and the council’s role in improving
the quality of life of local people
Established monitoring systems for Ensure our recruitment channels take
both employment and service into account the preferences of both
delivery younger and older applicants
Introduced age equality into
recruitment and selection training
Started to look at the results of our Develop an action plan to address
Place Survey 2008 to build issues and target where necessary to
understanding of why 65+ are less improve future outcomes
satisfied with their homes and
neighbourhoods
Work with partners – particularly
Hertfordshire County Council and
Hertfordshire PCT – to integrate work
to tackle issues facing older people in
Watford. This will be most critical in
those areas of high 65+ populations
and areas identified as more deprived.
Work with partners in the district
children’s trust partnership to deliver
the partnerships action plan to address
issues of young people in Watford
Ensure representation on One Watford
Equality Panel of 65+ resident by
working with one of Watford’s groups
that represents the needs and views of
older people
As part of the government’s scheme Continue to provide subsidised travel
we have allocated around £900k for older residents and visitors in line
annually to provide subsidised bus with the national scheme
travel for our older residents
Include a representative on One
Watford equality panel to represent
Watford’s older community
16Disability
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA) protects those who have limiting long-term
illness. It extended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to cover public functions (such
as enforcement and benefits) and introduced a duty on public bodies to promote the
equality of disabled people. This is known as The Disability Equality Duty. There is a
statutory code of practice, which public bodies, like Watford Borough Council, must follow
so that we can:
• Eliminate unlawful disability discrimination
• Eliminate unlawful disability harassment
• Promote equality of opportunity for disabled people
• Promote positive attitudes toward disabled people
• Enable disabled people to take part in public life
• Take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disability even where that involves
treating disabled people more favourably than other persons
The DDA defines a person as having a disability if they ‘have a physical or mental
impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out
normal day to day activities’. This includes physical impairments such as sight, hearing,
heart disease, diabetes and epilepsy, also mental impairment including learning
disabilities and mental health problems.
Whilst it is widely accepted that disabled people generally have fewer opportunities and a
lower quality of life than non-disabled people, we do not believe that the disadvantage and
social exclusion experienced by many disabled people is inevitable. Like many
organisations, we believe that the most effective way of tackling this disadvantage is
through what is known as the ‘social model of disability’. This asserts:
Most of the day-to-day problems that disabled people face are caused by the fact that
society is designed to meet the needs of the non-disabled people. What disables people
is not a particular condition but the way society reacts to it
Local Government Association (2003) Access to Services: Disability in Local Government
At the last census 14.2% of Watford’s population classified themselves as having a disability
or limiting long-term illness (described as any long-term illness, health problem or disability
that limits daily activities or work). It is estimated that around 235 Watford children aged 0-19
are disabled, based on 2001 census data, which estimates a percentage of 1.2% of the
population between these ages has a disability.
In the 2008 Place Survey, nearly four out of five or 79.1% of residents described their health
as good or very good, which means that around 20% described their health as fair, bad or
very bad. In the 2001 census, 73% of Watford residents described their health as good
whilst 27% described it as fair or not good – 6.85% chose not good.
The health of people in Watford is generally slightly better than the England average
although there are inequalities within Watford by location, gender, deprivation and ethnicity.
On average, life expectancy for males in Watford is 77.1 years and for females 81.1 years
although this, like many other factors, is affected by levels of deprivation and so is not the
same across the borough. These life expectancies are very slightly lower than the England
average.
17Disability Number Percentage
Disability or life-long limiting illness 11,332 14.2%
Incapacity benefit 2,285 2.82%
Disability living allowance 2,875 3.55%
claimants
Attendance allowance 1,985 2.45%
Attendance allowance is available for people aged 65+ who need help with care due to either
a physical or mental disability or both. The highest number of claimants in Watford are in
Nascot (335 residents) and Meriden (230 residents) wards.
Disability living allowing is for children and adults who need help with personal care. The
highest number of claimants are in Holywell (385 residents) and Meriden (360) wards.
Incapacity benefit is for people under 65 who cannot work due to illness or disability. The
highest number of claimants in Watford is in Central ward (375 residents) followed by
Holywell ward (275 residents)
Mental health is an area of disability that we have less experience of assessing in terms of
need and in understanding what this might mean in terms of the council and service delivery.
We know, with an ageing population, that we will experience a rise in older people suffering
from dementia (Hertfordshire Joint Needs Assessment 2008) and we know that, in
comparison to the rest of the county, we have a higher Mental Health Needs Index2 overall
and for issues such as schizophrenia and affective disorder in particular. This is in part
explained by the link between the number of people in a population who will need mental
health care and levels of deprivation. Deprivation is addressed further in this Scheme.
A recent report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (December 2009)3
indicates that disabled people are at greater risk of experiencing violence or hostility than the
wider population. This includes violence or hostility which might be perceived as a ‘hate
crime’. The report states:
22 per cent of disabled respondents in 2002 suffered harassment in public due to their
impairment (Disability Rights Commission (DRC) 2003). This was an increase from 20
per cent from the previous year (DRC 2002)
Eight per cent of disabled people suffered a violent attack compared to four per cent of
non-disabled people in London during 2001/2002 (GLA 2003)
Disabled people are four times more likely to be victims of crime compared to non-
disabled people (British Council of Disabled People 2007)
47 per cent of disabled people had either experienced physical abuse or had witnessed
physical abuse of a disabled companion (Scope 2007)
2
The Centre for Public Mental Health at the University of Durham developed the Mental Health Needs Index
(MINI) 2000 as an index for severe mental illness to predict future trends.
3
Promoting the safety and security of disabled people
18In addition, only one in two people of working age is likely to be in employment compared
with four in five non-disabled people; income of disabled people is on average less than that
of non-disabled people and they are more likely to live in poverty.4
Disability We have …. We will …..
Worked with Watford Talking
Newspapers to make information
accessible to people with visual
impairments including recording key
council publications such as About
Watford
Worked with Watford’s Council for Continue to build the capacity of the
Voluntary Services to establish the Disability Forum so it becomes an
Disability Forum, which meets every effective and inclusive advocate for
quarter to discuss issues of issues of Watford’s disabled
relevance and importance to the community, including offering practical
borough’s disabled community advice to services
Provided financial support for the Continue to work with DisabledGo to
DisabledGo – Watford website, ensure people with disabilities have
which provides information on accurate and helpful advice on
access to facilities in the town destinations / venues in Watford
including facilities such as doctors and
dentists
Established monitoring systems for Ensure our recruitment channels take
both employment and service into account the needs of people with
delivery disabilities and that we make suitable
adjustments within our recruitment
process to ensure equality of
opportunity
Supported our community celebrate Continue to participate in the national
International Day of Disabled People, day but look at more effective and
which encouraged greater timely ways to support our disabled
networking and built understanding community improve their outreach and
between groups and the community engagement
overall
Adapted our buildings and facilities
as necessary and where practical to
ensure they are DDA compliant
including level spectator viewing
access pavement at Woodside
Stadium
Worked with our disabled community
to ensure our leisure centres took
into account the needs of people with
disability in their design and build
4
Improving the life chances of disabled people: Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit
19Disability We have …. We will …..
Reviewed our website in line with Continue to improve the accessibility
feedback from a member of OWEP and functionality of our website, taking
to improve accessibility into account the needs of our disabled
community including advice for other
organisations / businesses on how to
ensure they are accessible
Supported training of local bus
drivers to raise disability awareness
and with our local bus company to
improve bus passes for blind and
deaf residents so they alert drivers
that the holder might have a disability
Funded Disability Awareness
workshops for all taxi drivers in the
borough
Provide publications in large print or
Braille if requested
Identified play needs for Watford Continue to ensure take up by children
children with disabilities as part of with disabilities through monitoring and
our Play Rangers initiative outreach, particularly to schools
Installed specialist equipment in our
most popular play area (Cassiobury
Park) to ensure children with
disabilities can access the play area
Supported 101 people through the
Disabled Facilities Grant scheme
in the last 2 years
Designated xx disabled parking bays
following requests from our residents
Information to follow
Welcomed representatives from our
disabled community to sit on the One
Watford Equalities Panel.
Representatives include residents
with physical disabilities and an
advocate for people with learning
difficulties
Ensured all our polling stations are
accessible
Ensure our major projects such as the
Cultural Study and Charter Place
consider the needs of people with
disabilities including issues around
feelings of safety
20Disability We have …. We will …..
Review our equalities training
programme to ensure it reflects needs
of people with disabilities, including
British Sign Language and mental
health awareness training for identified
frontline staff
Gender
Unlawful sex discrimination happens when someone is treated unfairly because of their
gender. Women, men and transsexual people can all experience sex discrimination. Sex
discrimination also includes treating someone less favourably because they are married or
in a civil partnership.
Transgender/Gender reassignment
In 1996, it was made illegal to discriminate against transgender people in the workforce.
In 1999, gender reassignment surgery was made a legal right on the NHS. In 2000, the
European Court of Human Rights established that transgender people should be afforded
legal status in the sex that they live in.
The main legislation covering transgender equality is the Gender Recognition Act (GRA)
2004 and the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) 1075.
The specific needs of transgender people mean that they should be considered within the
gender equality strand.
The 2008 mid-year statistics show the following breakdown of Watford’s population by
gender. There are no statistics currently available about the transgender population.
Our male / female split is similar to the national picture.
Population Breakdown Number Percentage
Gender
Female 40,600 50.12%
Male 40,400 49.87%
The 2001 census showed that 1,601 Watford residents were lone parents households –
4.94% of all households in Watford. Of these the majority of lone parents were women –
nearly four times more than men. This would support the national picture that women are
significantly more likely to have caring responsibilities, which impacts on their participation in
the labour market and, therefore, on their economic prosperity.
21In order that Watford maintains its position as an employer of choice and effective service
provider we recognise that we must continue to challenge and tackle sex discrimination and
ensure that the talents, knowledge, skills and experience of all our employees is utlilised and
rewarded irrespective of gender.
This why we undertook an extensive project during 2009 to ensure we achieve equity in our
payment procedure and that we operate a pay structure which is transparent, fair and
objective.
Domestic violence
Watford has the highest incidents of recorded domestic violence (17 per thousand head of
population) Hertfordshire. As this is often an underreported crime, we are aware it is likely
that there are more incidents than our figures show. As a crime that is perpetrated within
relationships, it is highlighted within the Scheme under gender. Domestic violence impacts
on more women than men (as far as we know from current data) but we acknowledge that
men are also victims of domestic violence; this is known to be even more underreported than
domestic violence against women.
Gender We have …. We will …..
Completed a programme of job Continue to monitor and assess the
evaluation and an Equal Pay Review impact of the implementation of this.
to address any potential gender pay The council is committed to equal pay
gaps for work of equal value
Promoted flexible working practices Review practices in light of our shared
Human Resources function to ensure
they are still actively promoting gender
equality
Set target for percentage of highest Ensure we continue to monitor the
earners amongst council who are percentage of women in the
women – 55% for 2009/10. Currently organisation in relation to highest
achieving 42% earners
HR policies in place to monitor and
eliminate sexual harassment and
bullying – ‘Dignity at Work’
Supported the Sunflower project that Continue to work with partners to
provides support for victims of tackle domestic violence and hate
domestic violence and hate crimes crimes including support for the
Sunflower Project, including identifying
areas of priority
Through the work of the Watford
Community Safety partnership
achieved a 5.6% reduction in crimes
reported as domestic violence
(November 2008-November 2009)
22Gender We have …. We will …..
Ensured women only sessions are
available at our two leisure centres to
allow women from all our
communities to take part in leisure
activities
Ensure transgender issues are
incorporated into equalities and
diversity training
Welcomed representation from
Watford’s Women’s Centre on our
One Watford Equality Panel
Marked International Women’s day
with a celebration of the
achievements of the council’s female
officers
Ensure our major projects such as the
Cultural Study and Charter Place
consider the needs of all genders
including issues around feelings of
safety
Race
Current government estimates on the ethnic make-up of Watford support the findings of the
2001 census data. The majority of the population in Watford are white British. However, we
have a long history of welcoming new communities – most recently those from Central and
Eastern Europe - and our significant black and ethnic minority community makes a real and
welcome contribution to the quality of life and overall diversity of the town. Watford has a
significantly more diverse community than the rest of Hertfordshire and the Eastern region
overall.
As yet, data collection has not captured the increase in the number of residents from Eastern
Europe although we know from national insurance registrations in the borough that there has
been an increase in registrations from people of Polish nationality over the last 5 years. In
terms of National Insurance data, we know that up to June 2009, there were 800 new
registrations from non-UK nationals. These were predominantly Pakistani, Indian, Polish and
Portuguese.
In addition, county data shows there are 121 Polish speaking and 115 Portuguese speaking
pupils in Watford. In the May 2008 school census 65% of Watford school aged children were
White, which is around 18% lower than the population as a whole and indicates the
borough’s growing diversity.
Overall, Watford’s population currently stands at 75% White British, with 25% of the
population classified as an other ethnic group. Of these the largest are White Other,
23Pakistani (we know from research that Watford has one of the highest percentages of
Pakistani communities in England at around 4.65% - 20th for any local authority and 4th for a
district), and Indian. Looking forward, when we compare the changes in the ethnic
background from 2001, the current government estimates indicate increasing number of
residents who classify themselves as Mixed Race or dual heritage.
Ethnic Background Number Percentage
Population estimates by ethnic
group - mid 2007
White 65,900
White British 60,000 75.28%
White Irish 2,000 2.50%
White Other 3,900 4.89%
Mixed 2,100
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean 600 0.75%
Mixed: White and Black African 300 0.38%
Mixed: White and Asian 700 0.88%
Mixed: Other Mixed 500 0.63%
Asian or Asian British 7,500
Asian or Asian British: Indian 2,500 3.14%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 3,700 4.64%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 300 0.38%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian 1,000 1.25%
Black or Black British 3,000
Black or Black British: Caribbean 1,300 1.63%
Black or Black British: African 1,500 1.88%
Black or Black British: Other Black 200 0.25%
Chinese or Other Ethnic Group 1,500
Chinese or Other Ethnic Group:
700 0.87%
Chinese
Chinese or Other Ethnic Group:
800 1.00%
Chinese: Other Ethnic Group
We believe Watford’s cultural diversity is one of its great strengths , with nearly four out of
five residents agreeing that people from different backgrounds get on well together in their
local area (Place Survey 2008).
Watford Community Assembly
Through One Watford we are working with partners to strengthen the borough’s
commitment to diversity through a project that will support groups get more involved in
local decision-making. Watford CVS is leading on this work, which will support groups
from across the community come together through a ‘Community Assembly’ to act as a
powerful voice for local people. This will be add strength to the borough’s current channels
of engagement and advocacy.
Watford recognises that people from minority ethnic groups face discrimination and
prejudice, which can restrict their ability to access appropriate services and/or gain
employment. National evidence shows that black and minority ethnic people are more likely
24to be unemployed, irrespective of their qualification, place of residence, sex or age; black,
Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils experience lower levels of educational attainment and in
relation to housing Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi households are more likely to live in
homes that fall below the Decent Homes Standard5.
Race We have …. We will …..
Provided support to people whose Improve understanding of current
first language is not English through language within the borough
our in-house Communicators Service
and through the use of Language
Line
Supported the Sunflower project that Continue to work with partners to
provides support for victims of tackle domestic violence and hate
domestic violence and hate crimes crimes including support for the
Sunflower Project
Welcomed representation from our
black and minority ethnic community
on our One Watford Equality Panel
Celebrate the borough’s diversity of
the borough through key events like
Black History Month
Religion or belief equality
Religious discrimination can occur when you don’t have the same religious or
philosophical beliefs as someone else, or because you have no religious beliefs, and
because of that someone treats you less favourably than somebody else who does share
their religion or belief. It can also happen because of the religious or philosophical beliefs
of someone you are associated with, or if someone thinks you have certain beliefs when
actually you do not
The diversity of Watford’s community is reflected in the diversity of religions or beliefs across
the borough.
The 2001 census was the first to include a question on religion, although it was not
mandatory to answer. The largest religious group in Watford was Christian (66%).
Just over 16% of residents said they were of no religion and over 7% did not state their
religion.
The second largest religious group in Watford is Muslim with 4,869 or 6.11% residents
classifying themselves as of the Muslim faith. 95% of our Pakistani population identified
themselves as Muslim in the 2001 census and 85% of the Bangladeshi population identified
themselves as Muslim.
5
‘Journey to race equality’ – Audit Commission 2004
25Religion or belief Number Percentage
Christian 52,977 66.45%
Buddhist 262 0.33%
Hindu 1,381 1.73%
Jewish 892 1.12%
Muslim 4,869 6.11%
Sikh 392 0.49%
Any other religion 290 0.36%
No religion 12,838 16.10%
Religion not stated 5,825 7.31%
Religion We have …. We will …..
or belief
Ensured there is appropriate religion
and belief representation on One
Watford Equality Panel
Provided opportunities for staff to
attend Muslim awareness training
Commissioned extensive research to
identify the needs and aspirations of
our Muslim community. This
research, which included wide
ranging engagement with the
community, has helped shape work
that will build community capacity
Following the development of an Continue to deliver action plan for
action plan in relation to our work ‘Prevent’ initiative
with the Muslim community we have
appointed community workers to
deliver the identified priorities
Supported our community run the
‘Watford celebration’, an annual
event that celebrate the borough’s
diverse cultures and faiths
Extend monitoring of religion to
employees and to service areas,
where appropriate
Ensure that staff leave arrangements
take into account religious festivals
and observances
26Religion We have …. We will …..
or belief
Provide a quiet room for staff so
there is an opportunity for anyone
who needs a private place for
religious observances
Sexual orientation
At present there is little reliable data available on Watford’s Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual
community as sexual orientation was not asked within the 2001 census. Based on national
estimates produced from a government survey in December 2005 analysing the financial
implications of civil partnerships and also Stonewall estimates, around 5-7 per cent of the
population are thought to be gay or bi-sexual.
This has been translated into an approximation of 4860 gay or bi-sexual people in Watford.
In 2004, ONS released data around the number of same-sex households in which the adults
identify each other as a partner. In Watford there were 114 identified as same sex
households.
Sexual orientation Number Percentage
Heterosexual 76,140 94%
Homosexual (estimate) 4,860 6%
Households living in a same sex couple 114
Legal protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation applies to everyone,
whatever their sexual orientation.
Sexual We have …. We will …..
orientation
Held our first Lesbian, Gay and Continue to celebrate our LGB
Bisexual (LGB) event to raise community through appropriate
awareness of LGB issues within our events / exhibitions
community
Committed to ensure that our Seek ways to improve disclosure
employment practices and service and encourage sensitive
delivery do not discriminate on the monitoring systems across service
grounds of sexual orientation delivery and employment
Through the Watford Community
Safety Partnership worked to
encourage the reporting of hate
crimes
Welcomed representation from our
gay community on our One Watford
Equality Panel
27Sexual We have …. We will …..
orientation
Engage in a countywide LGBT
survey to build our understanding
of the community in Watford and
its needs
Explore working with Stonewall to
promote a workplace culture that
allows LGB staff to feel valued
Other equality strands
As well as the six strands covered by equalities legislation, the profile of our borough means
we plan to consider other issues that impact on our residents and their life chances. In
particular deprivation and the associated inequalities is an area that we choose to consider
within this Scheme.
Deprivation
Watford is ranked 203rd out of 354 local authority areas in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation
(IMD) 2007 (1 = most deprived). It is the third most deprived district in Hertfordshire and the
18th out of 48 in the Eastern region. In the IMD 2004, Watford was ranked 223. Though the
two Indices are very similar, it is not valid to compare the scores between the two time
points. An area’s score is affected by the scores of every other area; so it is impossible to tell
whether a change in score is a real change in the level of deprivation in an area or whether it
is due to the scores of other areas going up or down.
Local authority areas can be broken down into smaller areas known as ‘Lower Super Output
Areas’ (LSOAs) and these are also ranked to allow us to identify pockets of deprivation which
are hidden when areas also contain wealthy communities (such as within Watford).
The good news is that no LSOA in Watford ranks among the 20% most deprived in England.
However, Watford does have the highest proportion of deprived LSOAs in Hertfordshire. The
following wards all have LSOAs that feature in the worst 10 in Hertfordshire:
Vicarage (4)
Central (3)
Callowland (2)
Holywell (2)
Meriden (1)
When looking at a comparison of the proportion of residents within England, the region and
Watford living in each of the five national deprivation quintiles (i.e. levels of deprivation
divided in five groups from least to most deprived), Watford has less than the national and
regional percentage of people living in the least deprived LSOAs, more living in the third and
fourth quintiles but none living in the most deprived quintile. Average life expectancy in
Watford is 77.1 years for men and 84.2 years for women. Both these are within an average
range for England but they do hide inequalities within the borough. Men from the least
deprived areas can expect to live 7 years longer than those from the most deprived areas.
For women, the difference is nearly 4 years6. Health deprivation in Watford is most
noticeable in areas of lower income – see below – and these include Central, Holywell and
Meriden.
6
Information taken from Health Profile of Watford 2009
28In line with national trends, unemployment in Watford has risen during the economic
downturn. The latest figures (April 2008-March 2009) show a drop in the economically active
from the previous year (41,700 from 42,400). 1,670 people were claiming job seekers
allowance as of May 2009. This is up from 730 in May 2008.
Again looking at the data on income deprivation overall rather than just for age and children
as outlined above, two areas in Watford are in the top 10 most income deprived areas in
Hertfordshire – one is in Meriden and one in Holywell.
As a local authority, we provide money and debt advice to meet their rent or mortgage
payments during the recession and have assisted 149 households to access private rented
accommodation through our Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme (2008/09).
Partnership work with the health sector and Hertfordshire County Council is looking at how to
address the health inequalities identified in Watford. This work will be embedded in a health
strategy for Watford to be published in the summer 2010. Progress against the strategy will
be included in the monitoring of this Scheme. Partnership work with West Herts College who
are the borough lead on skills and training will support delivering improved learning
opportunities and link to Jobcentre Plus’ role in employment support.
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