Equality and diversity report
Understanding and working with your communities
What we have achieved in 2022-23
Collecting and sharing information
Local Index of Need (LIoN) and Thrive update 2022
The Local Index of Need (LIoN) continues to be updated on an annual basis, with the last update towards the end of 2022. LIoN enables identification of current need for small geographical areas within Gateshead based on 39 key indicators. LIoN is displayed on an interactive mapping tool, allowing easy visualisation of and access to the overall and thematic index data, as well as the individual indicators used to build these indices. The Thrive classification uses a subset of the LIoN indicators and was updated at the same time. Thrive allows monitoring of change over time and identifies areas that are thriving, managing, just coping or vulnerable.
Further develop the corporate consultation portal to develop mapping functionality to better capture respondents data
Mapping functionality has now been developed on the consultation portal and several consultations have successfully been run including topics such as climate change, tree and woodland planting, and more recently walking zones and the cycling network. The latter two saw the addition of functionality to add multiple points and comments to just one map (previously this was restricted to just one point per map). We will continue to look for opportunities to further develop functionality in conjunction with the consultation portal system supplier to enable better capture of geographical information.
Analysing and using data and information
Develop a corporate approach to internal data management, insights and performance
Our Corporate Data, Insight and Performance Group (CDIP) initiated a project focused on developing a single view of debt across all council services. The aim is to provide better intelligence to services involved in the collection of debt to support decision making about how best to proceed and intervene to recover the right debt. The outputs of this project are also being used to develop an evidence base to inform changes to our Debt Management policy, to be more flexible to the needs of our residents, in-line with the Thrive agenda.
Census 2021
Our Research and Intelligence team has published online a series of topic briefings analysing the Census 2021 data releases for the Gateshead population. Locally, Gateshead had a 97% census survey response rate. The census topic briefings analyse the published population data and trends by most protected characteristics. These include age, sex, ethnic group, religion, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, disability and marriage or civil partnership. The Equalities Profile (PDF, 112 KB)(opens new window) for Gateshead has been updated with the latest population data and is published as Appendix 2.
Further work is underway to produce ward factsheets, using Census 2021 data, and to make available through our Council website locality profiles using ONS' build a custom area profile tool. These fact sheets and profiles will include information about many protected characteristics for geographies within Gateshead.This data informs our evidence base such as the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for developing council policy.
2022 Annual Report from Director of Public Health
Our Director of Public Health published their statutory annual report for 2022, Mind the Gap - women and health inequalities (PDF, 9 MB)(opens new window). The focus of the report is on the range of inequalities faced by women at all levels of society and at all points across their lives. It highlights that some women will experience multiple and overlapping issues, widening their inequalities, resulting in clear, systematic differences in health between men and women.
There are 6 recommendations to tackle these health inequalities faced by women set out in the report.
- Giving every child the best start in life is the most important thing that we can all do, which also includes making sure that the mother is supported throughout pregnancy and beyond.
- Enabling children, girls and women to live their lives to the fullest is important to enable gender equalities across the life course, as we know that gender roles and inequalities are embedded at very young ages.
- Enabling children, girls and women to live their lives to the fullest is important to enable gender equalities across the life course, as we know that gender roles and inequalities are embedded at very young ages.
- It is important that we ensure a healthy standard of living for all so that we create positive generational life changes.
- To enable girls and women to have equality, then we must create and develop sustainable places and communities for girls and women.
- To ensure that women live healthy lives for longer, it is important to strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention.
Effective community engagement
Council Consultation opportunities
There were 27 public consultations or consultations targeted at specific groups publicised and/or run through the Council's consultation portal in 2022-23, with more than 7,700 responses received (Note: total responses will be higher as some responses are received outside of the portal due to varying methods used). These consultations included surveys on the Budget 2023-24, the first phase of the GO Gateshead leisure service review, North East devolution, SEND strategy, physical activity strategy, the Sage arena, exhibition and conference centre, former and current armed forces and reserves, Council tenant satisfaction, and school admission arrangements amongst others
Developing our approach to Resident Influence
We have worked closely with customers to develop a resident influence framework that provides a wide range of accessible opportunities for as many residents as possible to engage, provide feedback and influence. The framework includes three formal groups:
Resident Influence Panel
Comprising of tenants, leaseholders and officers, the Resident Influence Panel has two main aims:
- to make sure that residents' experiences are influencing service design and delivery
- to make sure we act on what customers tell us through formal engagement, but to also make sure that we proactively listen and gather feedback from the wider resident base
The group have undertaken the following during 2022-23:
ensured that consultation was carried out with tenants and leaseholders as part of the Tenancy and Allocations Review. This will ensure that customers have a voice in the re-design and delivery process
commissioned a scrutiny review of customer contact, presenting their findings and recommendations to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. These findings will inform a review of customer contact across Housing Services and the wider Council
commissioned a focus group to develop an Annual Report for social housing in line with regulatory requirements
in response to the Annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey results, commissioned a newsletter to be produced and distributed to all tenants informing them of our response to the results and what action we're taking
The group will continue to progress with the recommendations in their action plan throughout 2023-24 and work in accordance with the regulatory standard and relevant legislation, to ensure efficient and effective co-design of housing services for an improved customer experience.
Multi-Storey Safety Group
In response to the Building Safety Act 2022, we established a Multi-Storey Safety Group in May 2022. This group aims to make sure we deliver multi-storey housing that is safe to live in and that we provide relevant and up-to-date information to residents.
Tenants, leaseholders and housing staff will work together to oversee how we deliver on the resident engagement requirements of the Building Safety Act.
During 2022-23 the group have developed the Resident Engagement Strategy for building safety, influenced how building safety will be provided to tenants and leaseholders and created a postcard that was distributed to all multi-storey residents to enable us to collect information about those who require help in the event of an evacuation.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group
Residents, housing staff and partners work together to ensure that the services we provide are fair, accessible, and designed around the needs of all our customers.
We welcome members from diverse communities, particularly LGBTQ+, BAME and people with disabilities, who can share their lived experiences to help us provide housing services that work for everyone.
During 2022-23 members have been involved in an awareness raising campaign during Mental Health Awareness Week. They have also worked with officers to review and test the application process for Lettings to ensure they are fully accessible.
Fostering good community relations
Gateshead Community Safety board
Gateshead Community Safety Board continues to have a strategic priority relating to Hate Crime and Tension Monitoring (as part of the 'Protecting People from Harm' theme). Gateshead Council continues to co-ordinate the multi-agency activity to reduce harms caused by hate incidents across the Borough in partnership with Northumbria Police and other key stakeholders.
The partnership is currently refreshing the local Hate Crime Strategy and Action Plan 2023/25 which focuses our activities around three areas: 1) increase awareness and reporting of hate crime; 2) increase uptake and access of victim support services; and 3) deliver hate crime education. Northumbria Police continue to offer, encourage and promote support mechanisms available for victims and witnesses of hate crime - including the refresh of Safe Reporting Centres - to help increase reporting and access to victim support services.
Partners remain committed to developing local activity in support of national Hate Crime Awareness Week in October which helps to raise the profile of hate crime and where to report incidents as well as communicating the successes of our work. Northumbria Police and Gateshead Council continue to deliver and commission hate crime awareness training to services and organisations and regularly engage with key community groups throughout Gateshead. We promote and develop the role of the Hate Crime Champions scheme within Gateshead (including to public and private sector, schools and voluntary sector). We receive, monitor and respond to hate incidents via the Gateshead Council online reporting mechanism which allows us to identify and proactively respond to emerging trends/tensions within Gateshead. The Police Central Engagement Team engage with schools to encourage take up of hate crime awareness and champions training for staff and pupils.
Gateshead Council supports individuals vulnerable to being drawn into terrorist-related activities through the multi-agency Prevent and Channel Panel programme. In addition, we work alongside the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit to identify harm hotspot areas - and have commissioned various interventions to tackle serious violence within our most affected neighbourhoods/communities. We commissioned a Community Safety Survey to help capture feelings of safety and perceptions of crime within key locations to help us to improve community confidence. We also commissioned various Youth Outreach and Engagement work to help address issues of anti-social behaviour and foster improved community relations in hotspot areas.
Equality Data - Hate Crime reports
Hate crimes and incidents are reported either via Northumbria Police or through the Council's online reporting system. The majority of reports made to the Council's online reporting system are reports made by schools. Data has been cross-checked to ensure that all reports are just counted once.
During 2022-23 there were 351 hate-related incidents reported in Gateshead, consistent with numbers in 21-22. As has been found in previous years, most reports relate to racist incidents, with almost 6 in 10 incidents been classed as racist. Religious and homophobic incidents each account for 16% of all hate incidents reported in Gateshead.
Verbal abuse is the most common form of hate incident perpetrated in Gateshead; three quarters of reports made to the Council involve verbal abuse.
A refresh of Gateshead's Hate Crime Strategy is due to be completed by March 2024 and the Hate Crime and Tension Monitoring Group will be reestablished.
Equality Data - Domestic Abuse
Police incidents of domestic abuse increased by 4.2% in 2022-23, with 5,881 incidents reported. Of those incidents, 3,276 individuals were identified. Females account for almost three quarters of victims identified, the same figure as reported last year.
While Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority victims represent less than 1% of all victims of domestic abuse, the number of individuals from minority backgrounds has increased by a fifth in the last 12 months.
2% of domestic abuse victims were aged between 16 and 17, while 13% were aged over 55.
A Domestic Abuse Partnership Board has been established for 2023-24 to ensure that processes and services are in place to support all victims of domestic abuse. As part of this, a domestic abuse needs assessment will also be produced which will identify gaps and areas for partners to improve upon.
Improving the equality data for our domestic abuse service is a current focus, with the implementation of Mosaic, our new council case recording system for adults' and childrens' services.