Decision details

Purpose: to approve the strategy

Cabinet considered the head of corporate services’ report on a proposal to adopt a diversity and inclusion strategy. 

The council’s Corporate Plan included an aim to embed an organisational culture that celebrated diversity, inclusion and respect.  The council had also approved a motion relating to diversity and inclusion, and had published a diversity and social campaign calendar on its website. 

The strategy had been developed to strengthen and improve diversity and inclusion across the communities in South Oxfordshire and to further improve council services.  Consultation feedback had been taken into account to further strengthen the strategy.  The Cabinet member for community wellbeing reported that it was important for the council to create an environment where everybody felt that they belonged and that their voice would be heard.  The council must embrace everyone’s differences, their unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities.  The strategy was the first step in doing this.  It would drive improvements in the council’s services to make it easier for everyone to use them. 

Cabinet welcomed the strategy, noting that an action plan would be developed to implement it.  It was not a legal requirement to have a strategy, but Cabinet members considered it was important to do so.  It was also an opportunity to review service provision to ensure that services were easily accessible by everyone. 

RESOLVED: to

(a)    note the consultation responses received, including comments from Joint Scrutiny Committee; and

(b)    adopt the Joint Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils, as set out in Appendix 1 to the head of corporate services’ report to Cabinet on 1 December 2022.