FLINTSHIRE Council's Cabinet will reset the authority's equality objectives next week as part of a commitment to treating all residents, customers and employees equally.

All local authorities across Wales publish equality objectives every four years.

Flintshire Council has celebrated achievements recently, including the publication of an annual Equal Pay Audit and a Guaranteed Interview Scheme that means that disabled people applying for a job will be guaranteed an interview as long as they meet the minimum essential requirements.

The council works in partnership with other public bodies in North Wales and in working up its strategy has drawn on the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report into inequalities in Wales - “Is Wales Fairer? 2018” - in the six areas of life where inequalities are the most challenging. These are education, work, living standards, health, justice and security, and participation in society.

The Council’s objectives are to:

• Improve health, well-being and social care outcomes including outcomes for older people and disabled people;

• Reduce gaps in educational attainment between protected groups and implement strategies to improve well-being;

• Ensure equal pay within the workplace by having in place fair, open and transparent grading and salary strategies in place;

• Reduce inequalities in employment and reduce the pay gap between men and women;

• Improve personal safety for all protected groups;

• Increase access to participation to services and decision making for all protected groups;

• Improve living standards of people with different protected characteristics which are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation;

• Develop our knowledge of the socio-economic duty to protect people from poverty.

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Management, Billy Mullin, said: “We are pleased to publish this plan which details the objectives, actions and targets that will be undertaken during the next four years.

“Working in partnership with all the public bodies across North Wales helps to identify common equality objectives. To assist with monitoring, relevant objectives and actions will be incorporated into Portfolio Business Plans and Cabinet will receive a progress report every six months.”

The Chief Executive of Flintshire County Council, Colin Everett, said: “As a council we have strong social values. Inequality continues to be a major social and economic challenge even in the 21st century. We all need to do more – and our strategy sets out what part we will continue to play.”

Flintshire County Council is a member of Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme, is a Disability Confident Employer and has the Gold Armed Forces Covenant.