Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 123/08 of the Deputy Director (Organisational Development) and the Equalities Officer. 

Introduction and Report Summary

The Council is committed to the principle of equal opportunities and aims to deliver accessible services and employment opportunities which meet the needs of all residents and employees.

To help it achieve this, it needs to ensure that its service information is accessible to everybody. The Council needs to pay particular attention to the needs of disabled people, older people and people who have English as a second or other language.

The Accessible Information Policy sets out what the Council will do to meet the information needs of these groups, in terms of providing alternative formats, translations and interpreters (including sign language interpreters). It also highlights the need for all Council service information to be in Plain English, in an accessible font style and size and following a clear layout. These aspects should improve overall readability of Council information for the wider community.

This approach aims to be proportionate, practical and clear. It will also help the Council to meet its legal duties in terms of promoting disability and race equality.

This report summarises the purpose and need for the AIP and outlines what it covers. It explains what shaped the Policy and how it would be rolled out if approved by Council. This report also asks for the Executive Committee to recommend that Council adopts the Accessible Information Policy, with an implementation date of April 2009.

The contact officers for this report are Helen Bishop, Deputy Director (Organisational Development and Support), telephone 01235 520202, email helen.bishop@whitehorsedc.gov.uk and Katharine Doherty, Equalities Officer, 01235 520202, email katharine.doherty@whitehorsedc.gov.uk

Recommendation

that the Executive recommends that Council adopts the Accessible Information Policy, with an implementation date of April 2009. 

(Time: 2.32pm to 2.40pm)

The Executive received and considered report 123/08 of the Deputy Director (Organisational Development) and the Equalities Officer.  The report recommended the adoption of an accessible information policy. 

The Portfolio Holder, Councillor Richard Farrell, reminded the Executive that the Council had committed to the principle of equal opportunities and aimed to deliver accessible services and employment opportunities which met the needs of all residents and employees.  To achieve this, service information needed to be accessible to everybody.  Particular attention would be paid to the needs of disabled people, older people and people who had English as a second or other language. 

The draft policy set out how the Council would meet these needs by offering information in alternative formats such as translations and interpreters, including sign language, and providing information in these alternative formats on request.  Officers were urged to be proactive and provide alternative formats where it was known that the target audience would require or welcome it.  The policy also highlighted the need for all information to be in plain English and in an accessible font style and size.  Information should also follow a clear layout and avoid repetition.  The Executive considered that the draft policy would improve overall readability of Council information for the wider community. 

R E C O M M E N D E D

that the accessible information policy, as appended to these minutes, be adopted with an implementation date of April 2009.