Developing this strategy
This strategy has been developed as a cross-cutting theme that runs through all other policies and strategies. We have consulted widely with partners, staff and stakeholders to understand their experiences and issues. We held a number of workshops through 2020 with groups representing protected characteristics, our staff, elected members, and community partners, ensuring that intersectionality2 was also represented and listened to. In addition, we have involved service teams to ensure the strategy reflects their work and the priorities they deliver.
Intersectionality the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalised individuals or groups [Merriam-Webster]
In addition, we have involved service teams to ensure the strategy reflects their work and the priorities they deliver.
Context and legislation
The Equality Act 2010 is the legal framework to protect individuals’ rights and advance equality of opportunity for all. This Act provides the prime legislative basis under which this strategy operates.
Protected characteristics
The Equality Act 2010 introduced the term “protected characteristics” to refer to groups that are protected under the Act. Protected characteristics are legally defined as:
- age
- race
- sex
- sexual Orientation
- marriage/civil partnership
- disability
- gender reassignment
- religion or belief
- maternity and paternity
The Public Sector Equality Duty (created under the Equality Act 2010) came into force on 5 April 2011 and requires public bodies and others carrying out public functions to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, to advance equality of opportunities and foster good relations between different communities. Compliance with the equality duty enables us to provide services to meet the diverse needs of our users, and improve how we carry out our core business.
Gender and ethnicity pay gap
Legislation came into effect in 2017 requiring employers to publish figures on gender pay gap. We use our data on a yearly basis to continually review all areas of the organisation to identify the barriers (and the drivers) for appointing women, particularly at senior levels.
Although not required by law, since 2020, we have included the ethnicity pay gap in our annual reporting and introduced reporting on the disability pay gap in our 2021 publication. We want to go beyond simply our statutory requirements and ensure we truly represent the people we serve.
Modern day slavery act
Legislation requires us to prepare a slavery and human trafficking statement each financial year, publish it on our website, and tackle slavery wherever we find it. We recognise that we have a responsibility to ensure that our services and supply chains understand the issue and can transparently demonstrate ways that they protect against modern-day slavery. In 2022 we published new research into modern-day slavery in Oxford, which gives new insight into the local issues.
Oxford and its citizens: key facts
- population: 151,584 (ONS 2020 mid-year estimate)
- 33,400 students are enrolled for full-time studies in two universities, the largest proportion of adults in full-time studies of any city in England and Wales
- the third highest ethnic minority population in south-east England
- 26% of residents were born outside of the United Kingdom
- 10 out of 83 neighbourhoods are amongst the 20% most deprived in England
- 22% of adults have no or low educational qualifications
- after housing costs, 1 in 4 children live below the poverty line
- men in the most deprived areas live 15 years less on average than those who live in the least deprived areas
- average house prices are 11.4 times the average earnings – the mean house price is £558,216
- an estimated 16% of residences do not have outdoor space, compared to 12% nationally
- over 4,000 people in Oxford receive Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments
Our staff: key facts
We collect data on the diversity of our workforce, which is voluntary and anonymous for them to provide (apart from sex). This data indicates the following make-up of our staff:
- 58.2% of our workforce is female, compared to the city population of 47%
- 14.5% identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, compared to 18% of the city population - (Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnic is used here as it reflects the data set, we will avoid terms such as minority ethic that categorise people into large groupings that do not reflect their heritage), compared to 18% of the city population
- 10.8% have a disability, compared to 6.7% of the city population
- 3.6% of the workforce identifies as non-heterosexual
These statistics reflect the overall workforce, but do not reflect the continued gaps at senior level for women and those identifying as Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnic heritage.
The council now reports on its annual gender pay gap, ethnicity pay gap and disability pay gap.
We face a number of challenges that have influenced our objectives for this strategy. The pandemic has compounded the financial challenges of reduced government funding. We are seeing increasing inflation, rising hardship and financial inequality, a greater focus on racial inequality and its impact on life outcomes and changes in inward and outward migration.
