NEATH Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet has approved the council’s Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report (2023-24) detailing how the council is eliminating unlawful discrimination, advancing equal opportunities and fostering good relations.
The annual report describes progress on how the council is delivering services in line with its Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and the general duties outlined in the Equality Act 2010 as laid out in its Strategic Equality Plan.
Key elements of the council’s work during 2023-2024 include:
- A Tackling Poverty Team being established in July 2023 to help residents with low net disposable income.
- Accessible meeting rooms with digital connectivity being established in the Port Talbot Civic Centre building.
- An Ageing Well Engagement officer started work in May 2023 to advance the council’s Ageing Well agenda.
- In 2022/2023 the percentage of year 11 leavers not in education, employment or training (NEET) was 2.41% but by the end of 2023/2024, this figure decreased to 1.3%.
- The council recruited and trained 33 Mental Health Champions who are now at the heart of the Time To Change Wales campaign challenging mental health stigma.
- The council signed the Unison Anti-Racism Charter demonstrating its commitment to addressing any racial disparities in recruitment, promotions, training opportunities, and employment relations procedures such as disciplinary or pay.
- The council was awarded the Womenspire Fair Play Employer Award recognising its achievements regarding gender equality in the workplace.
- Baglan Primary School and Ysgol Cwm Brombil were awarded gold and bronze status respectively in the Armed Forces Friendly Schools Cymru scheme to recognise their support for service children.
- The work of the Violence Against Women, Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Communications and Engagement Group backed the White Ribbon campaign to end male violence against women, promoted local and national campaigns including Clare’s Law, Bright Sky, and Respect. Also, the ‘Heads Up’ campaign was further extended across the hair and beauty industry working with South Wales Police’s Operation Prunella and NPT’s Be Safe Team and the Safe Spaces scheme continued its roll-out into Neath and Port Talbot’s town centres as well as all civic buildings and libraries.
- The council’s revised Welsh Language Promotion Strategy 2023-2028 was adopted in July, 2023. It aims to ensure that by 2028 Welsh is much more audible and visible in local communities and used by more people in their daily lives.
Cllr Simon Knoyle, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice said: “Councils like ours provide hundreds of public services so we touch the lives of people in very many ways.
“To do this effectively, we must consider and provide for the wide range of needs and aspirations of everyone living and working in Neath Port Talbot.
“The overall aim is to make NPT a fairer and more equitable place to live and this report shows that progress is continuing to be made on this and I thank all those involved for their ongoing efforts.”
Link to the report: Strategic Equality Plan – Neath Port Talbot Council
