Equalities and Diversity

The Council has an Equalities and Diversity Unit and one of our main aims is to make sure that equality is at the heart of all the Council's business. This means building on the progress made so far by the Council in:

• improving services
• being a good employer
• promoting greater understanding between people in Rotherham
• celebrating that we live and work in a diverse society.

Equality Mark Certificate

Rotherham is amongst the first group of councils nationally to receive an Equality Mark Certificate for its work on promoting equality and diversity.

The award, from the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA), is in recognition of the Council achieving Level three of the Equality Standard for Local Government. It recognises the excellent progress made in making sure Council policy, decision making, services and employment practices promote equality and fairness for all people in Rotherham.

The certificate was awarded in 2006 following a rigorous audit of the Council’s work on equality involving specialist auditors:

• reviewing our submission of evidence against the Equality Standard Levels 1 to 3
• interviewing a selection of councillors, managers and service delivery employees
• interviewing a selection of people from local community and partner organisations.

The certificate was presented to representatives of the Council by Lord Herman Ouseley in February 2007.