Our Approach
We are very proud to have been awarded Level 5 of the Equality Standard. It has been earned through innovation, hard work and a genuine commitment to promoting equality and diversity in the borough.
Naturally, we work to ensure that Tower Hamlets complies with the full range of equality laws, however, for us, these statutory obligations are only the start. Below are examples of how our equality and diversity strategies link to our wider organisational aims.
- The Tower Hamlets Community Plan is the overarching plan that drives all key services across the borough. It makes a clear commitment to improving the quality of life of everyone who lives and works in Tower Hamlets and aims to address inequalities that arise including those relating to sexual orientation.
- Our Diversity & Equality Action Plan is at the heart of the council’s Strategic Plan and is the main strategic driver for the council’s work on diversity and equality. By setting out our beliefs and intentions in this way, we are embedding a positive attitude in the organisation that can be translated into constructive action. The initiatives which have sprung from our Plan are as varied as the people they are designed to serve.
- Our Workforce to Reflect the Community Strategy is ensuring that local people from all backgrounds and cultures are recruited into the council. However, there is still more work to be done. The council has taken action by introducing a number of schemes (e.g. Aspiring Leaders, Step Up Now and Positive Action) to bring more disabled and Black & Minority Ethnic candidates into the council, especially at higher levels.
- The council is also working in partnership with a number of bodies to put diversity at the heart of recruitment into the local Primary Care Trust. A Young Women at Work day, jointly run by the PCT and council, recently showed young women the job opportunities available in the public sector; while an apprenticeship scheme is bringing a diverse local population into health administration roles.
- Since 2007, the council has run two successful personal development programmes for disabled staff. We are also helping the borough’s younger people into employment with the well-regarded Hamlets Youth Training Programme and a local graduate programme.
- Outreach programmes are successfully connecting our more hard-to-reach communities with key council services.
We are also very proud to have been awarded Level 5 of the Equality Standard. It has been earned through innovation, hard work and a genuine commitment to promoting equality and diversity in the borough.
On top of this, we have gained:
- Beacon Awards 2009-2010 for Positive Engagement of Older People, and Preventing and Tackling Child Poverty
- Winner of 7 previous Beacon Awards between 2003-2009, including Community Cohesion; Getting Closer to Communities; and Promoting Racial Equality
- The Disability ’two ticks’ symbol
- 7th place in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index
- 5th Place in the Disability Standard in 2007
- Investor in People status
What’s more, we were the first Council ever to be awarded the Equality Mark.
