Equality Objectives Annual Report 2023-24

The focus of this objective is to develop a greater focus on promoting social inclusivity across all the Council’s services and fostering good community relations

Areas of activity

A) Supporting communities through the work of our frontline teams and in partnership with other relevant organisations

Community Development and Partnership

The Council’s Community Development work covers five key localities across the borough, incorporating Horley, Merstham, Preston, Redhill, Woodhatch and Whitebushes, along with broader support for local areas.  Community Development Workers seek to understand the needs of communities and residents and build on their strengths to help them address challenges and benefit the places around them. Doing this effectively requires consideration of equality, diversity and inclusivity and reflecting the needs and strengths of those with protected characteristics.

The wider Community Partnerships service is also closely engaged with communities across the borough, and coordinates efforts with partners to strengthen community relations, facilitate support, and enable shared learning and understanding between organisations. Our community centres also act as local venues for community activities and groups, and have been continuing work to broaden their appeal.

During the last year, this work has encompassed a number of activities which have made positive contributions to the Council’s equality responsibilities. These have included:

• Supporting five food clubs, offering low-cost food to residents facing cost of living pressures. These supported eight thousand visits in 2023.
• Facilitating groups to coordinate local efforts supporting particular elements of the community, such as and Older People Forum and working groups, and the re-launched ‘Get Connected’ network for organisations working with young people.
• Offering a venue at Horley Community Centre for the local African community, with a range of talks and events each attracting fifty to eighty people.
• Delivering round four of the Household Support Fund through our partners, providing £400,000 worth of essentials such as food and fuel vouchers, along with advice, for residents in need. 
• Monitoring delivery of the Creating Healthy Communities grants, funded by East Surrey Place, providing support around matters such as mental health, drama and music opportunities for those with disabilities or special needs, and groups and assistance for carers, survivors of abuse and those with health conditions.

Work last year on a football project for young people in Preston, helping to support access to facilities and address challenges for children received special commendation, being highlighted as an example of good practice at NHS Surrey Downs’ Pulling Together Conference.

Housing and Intervention

The Council’s Housing and Intervention service has also been working to support communities. This has included through our Family and Money Support teams, which have assisted those facing particular difficulties, as well as the new Welfare and Discharge team referenced earlier in this report. Some of the recent factors facing residents can have especially pronounced effects on those with protected characteristics, and these teams are therefore well positioned to assist those in need and ensure they can access support.

Of note recently has been work to support refugees within the borough. We’ve worked with twelve families from Syria and Afghanistan, as well as over three hundred and fifty Ukrainians in the last few years to provide initial support and assistance. For those who have remained within the borough for a while, we’ve provided support with elements including language learning, community integration and finding employment. The last year saw notable progress in securing accommodation for families in need, in conjunction with Raven Housing Trust and Mount Green Housing Association, with fifteen properties either secured or underway, supported by grant funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The work of the team helps to assist refugees in need and facilitate building connections within local communities. 

B) Incorporating consideration of social inclusivity in service-level strategies, service design and delivery

The Council must incorporate consideration of equality matters and social inclusivity throughout its work. This forms part of the day-to-day work of the Council, as well as being included in development of strategies and longer terms plans.

An example from this year, which also ties in to wider work to support good community relations, is the Safer Redhill programme. Safer Redhill looks at issues around antisocial behaviour in the town centre and nearby areas, responding to local concerns. Supporting the scheme, there has been extensive work to engage with and listen to local residents and partners, including research on practical town centre improvements, stakeholder events, and youth outreach through the YMCA. There was also a consultation on the Redhill town centre public space protection order, which utilised the Council’s consultation toolkit, and we’ve worked with faith groups in the area with additional training on addressing antisocial behaviour being provided for those active locally, such as street pastors.

We’ve also conducted consultations on a range of other topics this year, including regarding our annual budget, our borough news publication, and street design code work around the A23. These have again drawn on the guidance within the consultation toolkit around reaching underrepresented groups, providing accessible engagement options, and looking at the impact of plans on those with protected characteristics.

More generally, we continue to utilised Equality Impact Assessments as an important component of service planning. These assessments are used to consider where either new services or changes to existing offers are likely to have adverse impacts on any section of the population, particularly those with protected characteristics, and how those impacts might be avoided or mitigated. These factors are also reflected in our reporting to committees, where reports have a standing section on equality implications.

Community Centres

The Council’s Community Centres have recently implemented a successful transformation programme, expanding the range of options on offer and the appeal of the centres to a wider range of local residents. This approach was informed by ambitions to have the centres work for all elements of local communities, and has so far proven successful with a 33% increase in activity participation and a 15% increase in room hire between 2022/23 and 2023/24.

As referenced last year, the centres now offer resources and activities for all ages. This ranges from a place to get a hot meal, to exercise classes, to children’s play sessions (including with parents and grandparents), to dementia support, to IT classes, to diverse community groups, and through to clubs for games, arts, crafts and music. The centres also provide venues for personal care and health provision, including chiropody, hairdressing, and audiology. These offers help to provide opportunities for all members of the community, and keep important services accessible locally.

Future Focus

Future work will continue to build on our current approach and maintain efforts towards supporting our communities and relations between us, partners and residents. This will require remaining aware of the local circumstances and resident needs, and ensuring that Council plans continue to take account of their impacts on residents, particularly those with protected characteristics or who are otherwise vulnerable.

There is ambition to look towards how we can further development our engagement approaches and community work to expand opportunities for resident participation and help us listen effectively. This will accompany our ongoing work to collaborate closely with our partner organisations, especially around strengthening health sector cooperation, and develop further on recent work to be more open to partners in developing our plans.

We will also be working to ensure that equality considerations and accessibility are built into our future consultations, including around regular activities such as the annual budget, and longer term strategies, such as the development of our next Corporate Plan. These elements remain essential in ensuring that our services continue to reflect our equality responsibilities as well as they can.