Delivery Framework for Equalities 2023-24
North Lanarkshire Council · 3 February 2023
Back to Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee — 3 February 2023 and its agenda
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Wellbeing & Tackling Poverty Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref FW/AC Date 03/02/23 Delivery Framework for Equalities 2023/24 From Fiona Whittaker, Chief Officer, People Resources E-mail cameronau@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07793 598962 Executive Summary The Council’s current five-year Equalities Strategy was agreed by the Youth, Equalities and Empowerment Committee in August 2019, and covers the years 2019-2024. The strategy is underpinned by 5 corporate objectives which cover both the mainstreaming and workforce related requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Council’s Equality Strategy recognises that there is an intrinsic link between equalities and socioeconomic disadvantage, where evidence clearly shows that those with protected characteristics are more likely to experience higher levels of material deprivation and poverty which will be exacerbated by the ongoing cost of living crisis and the many associated challenges which lie ahead. Following the transfer of the Equalities remit to the Chief Officer, People Resources, the service has undertaken a desktop review of the Equalities Strategy, and the current programme of activity underway. This has highlighted a need for us to be clearer about how the strategy is being delivered and to set out the significant equalities programmes of work which link to our ambitions and intentions within the Plan for North Lanarkshire, including support for those who are most disadvantaged. The remainder of this report sets out for consideration and approval a new delivery framework for equalities. This will more clearly outline our key areas of focus within Equalities and will be supported by associated plan of activities and campaigns to support the advancement of our Equalities Strategy in the year ahead. Recommendations It is recommended that the Wellbeing & Tackling Poverty Committee: (1) Approve the new Delivery Framework for Equalities. (2) Note the good work planned and already underway in this area. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base
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1. Background 1.1 At a national level, and within wider society, the equalities agenda continues to expand grow and change, and its focus can sharpen quickly in response to national and international events. Most recently these include the murders of George Floyd and Sarah Everard, the Covid 19 Pandemic, the Ukraine War, and the associated cost-of- living crisis and its impact in our local communities. 1.2 These events serve to highlight the disproportionate impacts of both inequality and undesirable societal attitudes that often result in poverty, violence, racism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination and social exclusion that affect a broad range of people with protected characteristics. 1.3 In 2019 the Council published its third Equality Strategy for the years 2019-24 setting out how it would deliver on the asks of the Equality Act 2010 Public Sector Equality Duty (General Duty) to mainstream equality into its day-to-day business. 1.4 The General Duty requires the Council to pay due regard, when carrying out its functions, to the need to: • Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other prohibited conduct; • Advance equality between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not; and • Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. 1.5 To advance these duties, five objectives for success were identified as part of our strategy and these provide the means for effective mainstreaming. These objectives are; 1 to know and understand all our communities 2 to involve our communities effectively 3 to demonstrate leadership in equalities and human rights, both within the Council and amongst partners, and commitment to organisational excellence 4 to ensure that local public services are responsive to different needs and treat users with dignity and respect 5 to develop and sustain a skilled and committed workforce able to meet the needs of all local people. 1.6 The strategy is included for reference in appendix 1, and it underlines the Council’s equalities ambition for North Lanarkshire to be the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit for all, requiring that we find effective ways through our policies, programmes and activities to address the inherent disadvantage and inequality that certain groups of people experience because of societal constructs, policies, prejudice, direct and indirect discrimination. Ambition statement (23) Build a workforce for the future capable of delivering on our priorities and shared ambition
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1.7 In addition, in 2021 the Council published a refreshed set of equality outcomes, which is a statutory requirement of the Public Sector Equality Duty (Specific Duties) and provides the focus to help us meet the needs of the General Duty as set out in 1.4. Our nine equality outcomes for 2021-25 are: 1. The housing needs of older and young people, disabled people and others with specific needs are met. 2. Women, disabled people, young people and BAME people access employment and business opportunities and support. 3. Older and young people, women, disabled people and BAME people on low incomes and benefits access welfare and financial advice and support. 4. The educational attainment for children and young people with disabilities and/ or additional support needs, Gypsy traveller children and young carers is improved. 5. Our schools are safe, accessible and inclusive. 6. Increased opportunities for children and young people with protected characteristics to develop their employability skills to enable them to leave school with positive destinations 7. The decisions by our community engagement and participation mechanisms are influenced by the contributions. of young people, women, BAME people and disabled people. 8. Our communities, town centres, facilities, parks and open spaces are safe, inclusive and accessible to older people, disabled people, women, people of different faiths, LGBT people and BAME people. 9. Young, BAME, Disabled, LGBT and female employees are provided opportunities to work for, thrive and progress in their employment with the council. 1.8 These outcomes are set and reviewed by the Council every 4 years in dialogue with services and other groups and aim to both advance the three needs of the general duty and provide our services with the focus to deliver improvements in areas where inequality and disadvantage have been identified for particular people. 1.9 There are also other additional Specific Duties which set out the steps we must take to show how we are meeting the needs of the general duty, including publishing reports on progress in relation to our equality outcomes and mainstreaming, and gathering and using employment information. 1.10 The work associated with the reporting requirement sits with the Equality Team and a number of relevant reports, including the Council’s mainstreaming report which shows progress against our stated outcomes, will require to be presented to Committee in 2023. 1.11 In June 2021, it was agreed that Equalities would be best placed within the portfolio of the Chief Officer, People Resources, and this was enacted through the transfer of the Development Officer (Equalities) and the Secretary to the Head of Communities in April
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2022. These changes are intended to enhance the level of support and resource we have available to deliver our equalities programme of work. 1.12 Since the transfer of the team into the Council’s broader HR service, and with reference to the current challenging economic and political context, we have undertaken a desktop review of the existing equality strategy including the five objectives and the legacy programme of work. This is with a view to assessing our current level of progress and to identify any gaps in provision and approach which need to be addressed in this next period. 1.13 Taking a pragmatic lens on our current progress against our stated outcomes, and as we transition to our future operating model, there are real opportunities in this next phase to advance equality by thinking more carefully about the ways in which we deliver our services and programmes of work including how we undertake our placemaking activities. 1.14 This also includes considering how we re-shape the delivery of our future services through our community hubs with equalities in mind, making them accessible and useful to residents from all areas of our communities. This can only be achieved by a sustained and strategic focus on equality and a commitment to understand how decision-making impacts on the causes and consequences of inequality. 1.15 Furthermore, a welcome increase in the diversity of our refreshed cohort of Elected Members and the confirmation of Councillor Khan as our Equalities Champion, has brought new opportunities to increase engagement with our Elected Members to help progress and support our equalities programme of work. 1.16 There is also a key role for both Elected Members and Community Boards to play in supporting and driving our externally facing campaigns and other work to listen to seldom heard voices regarding inequality in our communities, this includes working in partnership with other 3rd sector equalities-based organisations. 1.17 Finally, Audit & Risk has recently undertaken an audit to provide assurance on the adequacy and effectiveness of the key controls and management arrangements associated with ensuring that the Council complies with its statutory general and specific equality duties. While the audit was graded as providing reasonable assurance a number of areas were identified where improvements should be made including: • current governance arrangements • use of Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs); and • equalities performance monitoring 1.18 The finding from the Equalities Audit have now been discussed with Audit and Scrutiny Panel and an action plan has been developed that will be taken forward to satisfy the recommended improvement areas. The details of this are contained within the report and include the intention to: • set up a formal Equalities Delivery Board in early 2023 • support and monitor the Equalities Delivery Framework as set out in this report and any associated action plans • engage across services to ensure equality is embedded
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• improve the effectiveness of our Equality Impact Assessment processes and compliance; and • develop a robust performance monitoring framework that will more effectively measure performance and impacts against the equality outcomes. 2. Report Review of the Equalities Strategy 2.1 Following a desktop review of the existing Equality Strategy 2019-2024, and the current programme of activity underway we have determined that there is no requirement to fully refresh the strategy. 2.2 In addition, the equality outcomes published within the strategy were refreshed in 2021 in line with the specific duty reporting framework. It is believed that these newly refreshed outcomes along with the five objectives for success set out in 2019 are still relevant and aligned to our future programme of work and the plan for North Lanarkshire. 2.3 We have identified that there is a need for a clearer delivery framework and associated plan of work around equalities, which sets out more clearly “how” we intend to deliver against our objectives and outcomes and to provide more clarity on the areas we need to focus on both internally, and within our communities. 2.4 We have established that we need to be clearer about the approaches and processes through which we intend to deliver progress, including a focus on how we fully educate and engage people around the equality agenda, with the purpose of driving better outcomes. These include improved data and evidence; an improved approach to equality impact assessments and the wider engagement of our community boards and other community resources in supporting the delivery of this agenda. 2.5 In addition, we have identified some clear gaps in our equalities provision with examples which include the limited offering of equalities training for both staff and Elected Members and a lack of consistency in the application of our Equality Impact Assessments aligned to organisational changes and programmes of work. 2.6 Set out below is a new delivery framework which outlines proposed changes and improvements to the delivery of our Equalities programme of work with a focus on improved outcomes in key areas where we have made commitments at a corporate level. Delivery Framework for Equalities 2.7 Set out in figure 1 & figure 2 below is our proposed Delivery Framework for Equalities for 2023/24. The purpose of this is to set out the link more clearly and simply between our statutory requirements, our objectives, and enablers and the nine equality outcomes we have committed to deliver on for 2021 – 2025. 2.8 Importantly, the framework also now articulates three clear areas of delivery focus, and associated campaigns and activities which will ensure progress across the 9 outcomes. These have both an internal and external focus and recognise that equality cannot be
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solely delivered by the equality team, but is the responsibility of all, and is intrinsically linked to our ambitions within the plan for North Lanarkshire. Figure 1 Figure 2 2.9 Set out in the remainder of the report is an update on our current programme of activity aligned to the three key areas of delivery with detail on campaigns of work which are underway, and associated recommendations for future improvements.
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2.10 Due to the significant and substantial work that is currently being undertaken to progress the legacy of the former Elected Member/Officer Black Lives Matter Working Group, a separate report on Advancing Race Equality in Our Workplaces, Our Communities and Our Schools will also be presented to the Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee. This report provides additional details of the next stage of work and progress to advance equality for our Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic groups. Delivery Focus Area 1 - Driving improved equality outcomes in the Council’s workplace environment and the labour market 2.11 We know through an extensive data collection exercise we undertook in 2021 that there are significant challenges ahead in addressing our equalities goals for the Council’s workforce. For example: • 1% of our teachers are BAME while 5.4% of our pupils are BAME; • Our disability pay gap is 9.79% with those who consider themselves to be disabled earning £1.50 less on average per hour than non-disabled people; • Out of 16,870 employees only 92 are BAME and 393 are disabled; • Overall the percentage of lesbian, gay or bisexual employees recorded in the Council is 0.9%. • There were no transgender employees recorded in 2020. • There is strong gender-based segregation noted in traditional “female” roles of cleaning, caring and catering and for “male “roles such as drivers, cleansing and janitorial work; • 77 % of the workforce are women. 90% of part-time workers in NLC are women and they undertake significantly more part time work in lower grades than males. 98% of NLC1 posts are occupied by women; 2.12 It is important to outline that although this means that there is significant scope for us to positively change some of these statistics, this work is not easy, and it will take specific and targeted campaigns of activity and positive action over several years for us to shift the dial in a meaningful way on some of these outcomes. 2.13 Our campaigns and activities which support delivery focus area 1 are summarised below. Delivery Focus Area 1 – Campaigns and Activities for 2023/24 Race at Work Charter 2.14 Signing up the Race at Work Charter was subject of a report to the Policy and Strategy Committee in October 2021. The Charter provides a framework through which employers can take practical steps to ensure that their workplaces are identifying and tackling the barriers that minority ethnic people face in the workplace. Signing up to the Charter’s seven calls to action will assist us in our ambition to have ethnic minority employees represented at all levels of our organisation and reflect the communities of North Lanarkshire.
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2.15 The seven calls to action within the race at work charter are: 1 appoint an Executive Sponsor for race 2 capture ethnicity data and publicise progress 3 commit at Board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying 4 make equity, diversity and inclusion the responsibility of all leaders and managers 5 take action that supports Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse employee career progression 6 support race inclusion allies in the workplace Provide support for inclusion to allies to promote race equality in teams, at work and within their communities; and 7 include Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse-led enterprise owners in supply chains. 2.16 Information within the report to Policy and Strategy illustrated that many of the commitments were already being undertaken to some extent by the Council. Since then our Depute Chief Executive has stepped into the role of Executive Sponsor for Race and in doing so, he has fulfilled the requirement that this appointment be a most senior officer aligning with our objective to demonstrate leadership in equalities and human rights, both within the Council and amongst our partners. Increasing the numbers of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Teachers 2.17 The Council has a disproportionately low number of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) teachers working in our schools – 1% of teachers, while 5.4% of our young people are BAME. 2.18 For many of our young people at no point in their school life will they see or be taught by a BAME teacher. This has implications for young people’s experiences at school as well as their aspirations to be teachers and our future teaching workforce. To change this statistic positive action is required. 2.19 Activity to improve this statistic, and more importantly the experiences of our BAME pupils and teachers, is underway through the leadership and guidance of our Executive Sponsor for Race. Full details of this activity is contained in the corresponding Advancing Race Equality in Our Workplaces, Our Communities and Our Schools Report. Equally Safe at Work Accreditation 2.20 Committee will be aware that the Council is one of only four Local authorities awarded Bronze Standard in the world leading Equally Safe at Work employer accreditation programme in March 2021. 2.21 Equally Safe is the joint Scottish Government and COSLA approach to tackling violence against women and girls and Equally Safe at Work recognises the inextricable links between gender inequality (including in the workplace) and violence against women. The accreditation aims to address workplace inequality thus tackling violence against women at the same time. 2.22 To support this programme of work the Council has established an Equally Safe at Working Group which is chaired by the Chief Officer, People Resources and includes staff from relevant services and the Council’s Elected Member Equalities Champion.
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This group is focused on campaigns and policy areas which need to be amended or created to support the Council’s ambition in this area. 2.23 Throughout 2022 a key aspect of the work of the Equality Team, along with the ESAW Working Group, was to review the commitments made in the Bronze Standard to ensure we are still making the mark with a view to progressing to silver. 2.24 A recent workshop was held with key senior managers to explore the requirements for silver and the actions we can take to: • Get better at gathering data, particularly around training and development • Use flexible working practices better to better support our workforce • Reduce both horizontal and vertical occupational segregation; and • Support our employees experiencing sexual harassment 2.25 The Working Group is developing an action plan in preparation for achieving Silver Standard in 2024, and this will be taken forward in early 2023. Disability Confident Leader Accreditation 2.26 North Lanarkshire Council was the first Scottish Local Authority to achieve Disability Confident Leader status and we have now held that accreditation for 5 years. Being a Leader requires us to take action in a number of areas that support disabled people in the workplace and encourage other employers to also become disability confident. This is an ongoing process. 2.27 Our workforce statistics on disability has slightly improved over the last 2 years with 2.33% self-recording as disabled. However, nearly 70% of employees have not recorded in this category and 2.33% is still extremely low in comparison with the numbers of disabled people in the North Lanarkshire population – 20-25%. 2.28 There are indications that changes to the Disability Confident scheme are being considered. Of note is the potential for targets to be set in relation to the percentage of disabled employees in an organisation to achieve Leader status. This has implications for the Council in retaining its Leader status if the target is set at a level that is difficult for us to achieve. 2.29 To help move this on council is currently undertaking a full-scale review of the recruitment process and the process for accessing reasonable adjustments. These reviews, and their associated improvement actions, should assist with both the recruitment of and retention of disabled employees. 2.30 In addition, further work to encourage employees to self-record under the disability category on MySelf may also provide a truer reflection of the workforce. The disability confident accreditation is due for renewal in March 2023 and achieving this is a key priority of the group.
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Employee Equality Forum 2.31 The Employee Equality Forum (EEF) was set up by the Council as a collective, co- ordinated resource to enable employees with protected characteristics to influence organisational strategies, policies and procedures for promoting equality, and tackling discrimination. 2.32 The EEF has a planning group that co-ordinates the activities of the forum – consultations and employee events and initiatives - with the direction and support of the Equalities Team. In addition, the forum is represented in council working groups that aim to advance equality in the workforce for example the Disability Confident and the former Black Lives Matter Working Groups. Work for the coming year includes: • supporting the review and monitoring of the Advancing Race Equality in Our Workforce Action Plan • organising a representation from the workforce at Glasgow Pride in 2023 • continuing to represent the forum on council working groups • continuing to plan, develop and host events for employees with an equality focus • continuing as a consultation forum for employee policy development. Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Employees 2.33 Work is underway linked to a review of our Dignity at Work Policy and process to ascertain how we can better support LGB&T staff who experience discrimination or require support. 2.34 This follows an incident where a public front facing employee was the recipient of homophobic abuse by a member of the public. A poster campaign in partnership with our colleagues in the Occupational Safety and Wellbeing team and the Employee Equality Forum is about to be launched with posters on display in all of our public reception areas. This will make it clear to members of the public that any form of abuse of our employees will not be tolerated. 2.35 In addition, a dedicated LGB&T dignity at work support officer is in the process of being recruited who can better support LGB&T staff who may be experiencing discrimination and harassment and give then the confidence to come forward and raise any concerns. Delivery Focus Area 2 - Positively influencing the design & environment of our schools, town centres, community hubs and service delivery locations 2.36 It has long been understood by the Council that for the physical environment, including buildings, to be truly accessible there requires to be the involvement of disabled people at the earliest point in the design process. This same principal applies to Community Hubs, but consideration needs to go further than just physical accessibility design needs. 2.37 For instance, as a Breastfeeding friendly authority we need to ensure all hubs and other community locations are breastfeeding friendly; that they provide quiet rooms for
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people who may need a bit of calm or to pray; the toilet facilities offer choice and full accessibility, privacy and support for people’s different needs; the reception areas are welcoming and can offer support and direction for people whose first language is not English or are disabled to name a few. 2.38 Although significant work has been carried out in this area over the years it is patchy, and there is undoubtedly scope for improvement, for example despite investments in refurbishments having been undertaken it is only until very recently that the Civic Centre had only one floor with disabled access doors that can be used by a wheelchair user. 2.39 Our campaigns and activities which support delivery focus area 2 are summarised below. Delivery Focus Area 2 – Campaigns and Activities for 2023/24 Working with the Operating Model Delivery Team 2.40 The Equalities Team are maintaining close links with the Operating Model Delivery Team and will support the direct engagement of those people and organisations who have the skills and lived experience to ensure that the hubs are fit for their purpose to be the place for our diverse communities to meet, work, learn, organise, and access services and support. 2.41 The equalities team will also review and discuss with relevant services how they can expand work in this area, to ensure that as we re-shape our future workplace and working environment that we consider the needs of those with protected characteristics to align with our 9 stated equalities outcomes. Equality and Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessments 2.42 An explicit requirement of the Public Sector Equality Duty (Specific Duties) is to assess the impact of applying a proposed new or revised policy or practice against the needs of the General Equality Duty. Assessments are vital to evidence that we have paid due regard to the General Duty. 2.43 While the duty to assess policies and decisions has been with us for almost 20 years, there is room for improvement across the Council with this practice, and many impact assessments are carried out after decisions have been made, if at all, and many are still not picking up on the equality impacts. There are also very few being published on the Council website. The duty also comes with a requirement to publish. 2.44 Failure to undertake equality impact assessments puts the Council at risk - both from legal challenge and reputational damage. Ensuring that those undertaking assessments have the necessary understanding, knowledge and skills is critical. 2.45 To immediately strengthen our practice in this area CMT recently agreed that : • All senior officers responsible for policy, project and programme of work delivery, strategy development and review must ensure that assessments are timed and supported as an integral part of the process and not an afterthought to ensure compliance with the duties; and
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• employees placed with the responsibility of undertaking an assessment must first have completed, as a minimum, the e-learning module that has been developed on the Council’s forms and processes and available on LearnNL. Delivery focus area 3 - Working with our Community Boards and Champions to improve equality and inclusion in our communities 2.46 Our Community Boards are still evolving and have progress to make if they are to be truly representative of the communities they serve. True representation will not happen overnight and in the meantime the Community Boards do still require to ensure that they consider the needs of all people – particularly when it comes to making decisions about the distribution and allocation of public spending and resources. 2.47 They need to have competence and understanding of the different needs and experiences of different people and communities to make fair and equitable decisions. This can be achieved through being proactive and creative in the ways in which they engage with diverse groups. Delivery Focus Area 3 – Campaigns and Activities for 2023/24 Equalities Capacity Building and Supporting the engagement of those with protected characteristics / lived experience 2.48 The Equalities Team will continue to work with the Community Champions and the Community Partnership Team to build the capacity of the Boards to understand and engage on equality matters through: • Ensuring Boards have the tools and understanding to engage effectively with people with diverse needs through developing equality and diversity information on the Community Board Member Development Hub • Providing different channels for people to have influence in relation to Board activity and decision making – for example if people don’t have the confidence, skills or support to participate in formal structures (for instance people who have learning disabilities/difficulties or carers) identifying feeder or reference groups may be appropriate. • Supporting the Board to ensure their decisions are fair and equitable – for example support the development of a process to assess the impact of the decisions they take on equality. • Ensuring the LOIPs consider within the action plans the needs of their diverse communities. Action on Gender Equality Project: Gender Budgeting: From Theory to Action 2.49 Committee is reminded of a report to Community Empowerment Committee in January 2022 detailing the previous Elected Member Equality Champion’s support for the Council’s participation in the Action into Theory project supported by the Scottish Women’s Budget Group (SWBG). This three-year project funded by the Scottish
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Government, has the aim of building the skills and understanding of our organisation to ensure the decisions it takes are done so through a gendered/protected characteristic lens. 2.50 In May 2022 two workshops for Operational Managers were facilitated by the SWBG and further workshops for Elected Members took place in December 2022. 2.51 In addition to the training the SWBG offers direct support and mentoring where financial decisions are being made. One such area that has been identified is the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). 2.52 The primary goal of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK through three investment priorities: • Communities and place • Supporting local business • People and skills The UKSPF: NLC Investment Plan has the potential to reduce inequalities in North Lanarkshire if planned and implemented in a way that considers equality from the outset – the design stage. 2.53 In 2023, the SWBG will work directly with the Council on the following aspects of the UKSPF: NLC Investment Plan; • Women and Business • Employability; and • Active Travel This work will ensure that the Council meets the different needs of women and men and the opportunities afforded through these projects advance equality. Elected Member Equalities Training 2.54 A full programme of equalities training is planned and underway for Elected Members Since May 2022 and has included: • Mandatory general equalities training covering the statutory roles and responsibilities of elected members on delivering the Public Sector Equalities Duty. • Gender Budgeting Training in partnership with the Scottish Women’s Budget Group • The online content within the bespoke Learn NL site for Elected Members will also be developed to include recordings of the above sessions and any new e-learning and other relevant materials and links which have been sourced from the improvement service. Next Steps 2.55 Our work to deliver on the objectives within the strategy cannot be solely taken forward by the Equality Team but is the responsibility of all managers within services. To ensure a collective focus on this work and to strengthen overall governance, an Equalities Delivery Board will be established in early 2023 with a focus on: • Supporting and monitoring the Equalities Delivery Framework as set out in this report and any associated action plans
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• engagement across services to ensure equality is embedded • ongoing improvement in the effectiveness of our Equality Impact Assessment processes and compliance; and • developing a robust performance monitoring framework that will more effectively measure performance and impacts against the equality outcomes. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The diversity of the Council’s workforce increases. 3.2 The Council is successful in retaining Disability Confident Leader employer accreditation. 3.3 The Council is successful in achieving silver in the Equally Safe at Work employer accreditation programme. 3.4 Our diverse communities are supported to engage with the Council effectively. 3.5 Our decisions, including financial decisions, can evidence due regard to equality. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 Equality Strategy 2019-2024 Fiona Whittaker Chief Officer, People Resources
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ The report has a positive impact on the PSED. The work associated with the Delivery Framework for Equalities and the other matters for consideration are specifically about advancing equality for people with protected characteristics. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? A review of policies is currently underway to ensure that these are aligned to our equalities strategy and objectives. 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐
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5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? It has been flagged in the report that failure to undertake equality impact assessments can put the Council at risk from legal challenge and / or reputational damage. This is already included in the Risk Register 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services.
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EQUALITY STRATEGY 2019-2024
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Contents Foreword ......................... 05 North Lanarkshire diversity profile ......................... 06 North Lanarkshire Council workforce ......................... 08 NLC equality outcomes ......................... 09 Recent successes ......................... 10 Future challenges ......................... 10 Mainstreaming equality - five objectives for success ......................... 11 Roles and responsibilities ......................... 12 Measuring perfomance ......................... 13 Links to other key strategies and plans ......................... 14 The characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 ......................... 14 Equality Strategy 2019-2024 3
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foreword This Equality Strategy focusses on furthering all ‘We Aspire’ ambitions and priorities. It recognises that the poverty, disadvantage and inequalities that exist for some people in North Lanarkshire can be further exacerbated if they have particular characteristics. For instance, if you are disabled, you are more likely to live in poverty than a non-disabled person, if you are a women you will statistically earn less than a man and have a one in five chance of experiencing domestic abuse at some time in your life, if you are transgender you are quite likely to experience poor mental health and if you are Black you are more likely to experience unemployment. Commitment to equality and human rightsThe Council’s ambition is for North Lanarkshire to be the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit for all people. Addressing the disadvantage and inequality that some groups of people experience because of societal constructs, prejudice, direct and indirect discrimination requires a strong, sustained strategic approach directly aligned to The Plan for North Lanarkshire and a commitment from all employees at all levels to understand the causes and consequences of inequality. Together we will achieve. Leader North Lanarkshire Council The ‘We Aspire’ ambitions programme aims to transform lives and deliver better outcomes for all of the people of North Lanarkshire. Equality is at the heart of that programme. A commitment to equality and an understanding of diversity are crucial to making the We Aspire ambitions a reality. The council is determined to be an exemplar of good practice in equality, diversity and human rights. We see this commitment and understanding as critical to achieving the best possible outcomes for all those who live, learn and work here. Equality Strategy 2019-2024 5
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Population Approximately 2.1% of NL population are people from a Black or minority ethnic group 828 people use British Sign Language at home, 2715 speak Polish at home, 6678 speak other language at home other than English. 483 speak Gaelic. Our population is getting older with the over 65 age group set to increase by over 11,000 by 2026 whilst the working age population decreases by 5,000. Of the 10,134 people living in North Lanarkshire who were born outside the UK, 55.2% of those arrived after 2001 Just under ¼ of NL people have no religion (way below the Scottish average of 36%). 34.6% are Roman Catholic, more than double the Scottish average. Education 7339 people in NL understand but do not speak, read or write English, and 9857 speak but do not read or write English. 42.1% of visually impaired learners gained national qualifications at Level 3 and above in Maths or English within the SCQF framework in 2018 compared with 54.8% in 2017 51.7% of exclusions were pupils with additional support needs in 2017/18 (46% of distinct pupils) 81.82% of pupils with additional support needs (ASN) were participating post-school. The Scottish average is 90.4% 6% of NL Modern Apprentices in 2017/18 were disabled. The Scottish average was 11.3%. This rose to 9.84% in Q3 of 2019. 0.55% are BME as compared to the Scottish average of 2.1% 1 in 4 Scottish pupils said they were aware of peers suffering prejudice based bullying. Economy all of the following is about people who are economically active aged 16+ in North Lanarkshire The unemployment rate in NL is the lowest for white Polish people at 7.09%. For all white people it is 9.68%. The rate for BME people is 10.76%, however this jumps to 17.15% if you are Black Caribbean or African. Caribbean or Black males experience the worst at 29.68%. The unemployment rate is higher for Asian females (11.02%) than males (7.49%) and white females (7.75%) 20.89% of economically active BME people are self- employed compared to 7.9% of white people. There are 736 BME people who are small employers (that is 9.83% of the total BME working age population and 4.64% of these are run by women). In comparison 5.9% of the total white population are small employers For people whose activities are limited a lot the unemployment rate is 11.95% The rate of full-time self-employment for disabled people is 6.32% slightly more than for non-disabled people. 6.2% of people over 16 are economically inactive due to long term illness or disability. Disabled people spend £550 more per month than non-disabled people, because of the extra costs of being disabled. All of this means that 47.5% of disabled people live in poverty Note: Many of the statistics under Economy were taken from the 2011 Census. We will look closely at the unemployment rates when the 2021 Census results are available North Lanarkshire diversity profile 6 Equality Strategy 2019-2024
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Communities Charges reported to Airdrie Procurator Fiscal Office relating to disability and sexual orientation hate crime have increased significantly since 2010-11 while racial and religious based hate crime have decreased. 12.2% of households are one person aged over 65. 9.1% are lone parent households with dependent children. 19.05% of Adult Literacy and Numeracy learners are BME By 2037 the older population in North Lanarkshire will have increased by 68.4% from 2012.Younger households and ethnic minority households are more likely than others to live in overcrowded properties. 10% of disabled people responding to a NL youth survey never feel safe when out and about in their community In 2014, 27% of people who volunteered had a disability, a long term illness or had both. 2% of volunteers were from an ethnic group other than ‘white’ and 54% of people who volunteer are of the Christian faith. Health, wellbeing and care 85% of employees in care and personal services occupations are female. 167 children under 16 provide 20 + hours of unpaid care every week. 76 of those over 50 hours/ week. 3.1% of all people provide 50 + hours unpaid care a week, the Scottish average is 2.5% 25.29% of people over the age of 16 are limited in their day to day activities either a little or a lot. The overall rate for Scotland is 22.79%. 29.9% of people are living with one or more long-term health conditions. Many Asian women in particular are prevented from walking alone due to fear of harassment. Access to a car is crucial for getting out and about. The % of women who are repeat victims of domestic abuse has reduced from 45% to 15.6% since 2017. 393 referrals were made to Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) in 2017/18 period. Equality Strategy 2019-2024 7
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North Lanarkshire Council’s workforce There was an almost threefold increase in the number of people from a white minority group applying to work with the Council between 2017 and 2018 but a reduction in applications from BME people. In 2017 the second largest number of applications received were from BME people but this group was the least appointed. They were the least appointed also in 2018. The numbers of disabled people employed is disproportionately low 1.75% in comparison to the local population. However in 2017 83.24% of employees (12,187) had not recorded under this characteristic. In 2018 this was 82.3%. The percentage of employees who haven’t recorded personal information on MySelf doesn’t allow us a clear picture across many characteristics – disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and gender re- assignment. The gender pay gap within the non-teaching workforce has decreased from 2017-2018 from 8.97% to 6.94%. The gap in the teaching workforce in 2017 was 0.18% with males earning 3p less than females. In 2019 this has turned on its head with females now earning £1.10 less per hour then males making the pay gap 5.03%. The GPG for all Council employees is 4.42% with males earning 69p more per hour then females. Female % Male % Composition 76.70 Composition 23.3 Occupations Early Years Teaching Support Catering Cleaning and Janitorial Housing property admin 98.93 97.21 98.41 84.31 72.97 Environment and cemetries Fleet operations Regulatory and waste Trainees (infrastructure) Housing property 98.82 93.07 90.09 100.00 72.31 Grades NLC 1 NLC 1-7 97.43 76.16 Chief Officials NLC 16-18 65.00 54.76 At the gathering of employment information in 2017 gender occupational segregation (grades and occupations) was very marked within particular sectors in the Council in particular. 8 Equality Strategy 2019-2024
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NLC equality outcomes In April 2017 the Council set its evidence based Equality Outcomes for the years 2017- 2021. Setting equality outcomes is a requirement of the Equality Act 2010 Public Sector Equality Duty and provides the focus to help us meet the needs of the general equality duty to eliminate discrimination, advance equality and foster good relations. Our outcomes sit within the Council’s Business Priorities and are monitored through a Performance Management Framework. The protected characteristics are; age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation. Drivers North Lanarkshire Priorities North Lanarkshire Council Equality Outcomes Equality Act 2010 Public Sector Equality Duties General Duty Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other prohibited conduct Advance equality of opportunity between people who share protected characteristics and those who do not Foster good relations between people who share protected characteristics and those who do not Specific Duties Report on mainstreaming equality Publish equality outcomes and report progress Employment gathering information Equality Impact Assessments Consider award criteria and conditions in procurement The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 Ensure websites and other digital media are accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities Fairer Scotland Duty Reduce socio-economic disadvantage in strategic decision making. Others Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 Children’ and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 Public Protection Agenda Human Rights Act 1998 Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Enhance participation, capacity, and empowerment across our communities. Improve North Lanarkshire’s resource base Disabled people (including people with a sensory impairment), BME people, lone parents and carers are supported to access employment opportunities. Young women and disabled and Black and minority ethnic young people are supported and leave school with positive destinations The educational attainment of children with disabilities and/or children with additional support needs, Gypsy Traveller children and young carers are improved. Our schools are safe, accessible and inclusive. Older people, disabled people and those with other specific needs have improved access to a range of housing options which meets their needs and supports independent living. Our communities and town centres are safe, accessible and inclusive. Participation and engagement with underrepresented groups is improved. NLC as an employer is accessible and all employees are valued and supported to work to their full potential. During the lifetime of this strategy we will require to review these outcomes and in line with the One Plan approach we will work with our community planning partners to develop a set of joint equality outcomes in addition to those specific to the Council, the Education Authority and the Licensing Board. Equality Strategy 2019-2024 9
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Recent successes Construction completed of 231 new homes for Social Rent. All of these are designed to Housing for Varying Needs standards including 36 of which are designated amenity housing and 19 are designed for wheelchair users. % of women who are repeat victims of domestic abuse has reduced from 45% to 15.6%. The Council is an Early Adopter in Equally Safe at Work Employer accreditation which aims to tackle workplace gender inequality and ultimately reduce violence against women and girls. Three LGBT youth groups have been established within the last year and have joined together to form NL LGBT Youth Network There were 9095 participants’ sessions for extracurricular sport and physical activity in ASN Schools – exceeding the target of 7500. Pupils in secondary schools are volunteering as Mental Health Ambassadors. The Supported Employment Service (SES) has supported 180 people into work within the local community and 65% of people via the SES have kept their jobs for over 2 years. Our very positive relationship with the Deaf and Deafblind BSL community. Future challenges Engaging with seldom heard people will require innovation and commitment. Reducing the school exclusion rates for ASN pupils Meeting the needs of transient Gypsy Travellers Very high unemployment rates exist for Black males. Occupational segregation is still marked in many grades and occupations across North Lanarkshire. Gathering equality data on service users and encouraging our employees to self-record their personal characteristics on Myself 10 Equality Strategy 2019-2024
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Mainstreaming equality - five objectives for success Embracing the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duties and taking a human rights based approach to our work will ensure equality and human rights are mainstreamed into the everyday work of the Council. We have set the following five key underpinning work objectives to achieve this. Objectives 1. To know and understand all our communities We will gather and analyse equality data and work with a wide range of partners to develop a robust understanding of the changing identities and needs of our local communities. This evidence based knowledge will inform our planning and decision making so that we can ensure best quality services and deliver better outcomes for all our residents. 2. To involve our communities effectively We will use new and creative forms of community engagement so that all of our residents – including seldom heard groups – feel that they can participate in public life and that the council listens to them. This engagement will be an ongoing dialogue and centred on the ‘nothing about us without us’ philosophy. We will reflect on lessons learned from our history and the experiences of our partners to improve our practices and our ability to identify potential impacts on equality when making changes. 3. To demonstrate leadership in equalities and human rights, both within the council and amongst partners, and organisational commitment to excellence Our commitment to diversity and equality will be at the heart of the council’s vision, ambitions, priorities and plans. We will encourage political leaders and senior officers to demonstrate leadership by championing equality, promoting respect, challenging prejudice and addressing negative stereotyping of any groups. We will work with a wide range of partners to foster good relations and build resilient, cohesive communities that take pride in and feel a sense of responsibility towards their neighbourhoods. We will share good practice with and benchmark our practice against local authorities and other relevant organisations. We will take effective action where disadvantage exists using positive action measures where appropriate. 4. To ensure that local public services are responsive to different needs and treat users with dignity and respect Commitment to equality and human rights is integrated into our business planning and delivery, including service level procurement, resource allocation and performance management. We will ensure that our decisions, policies and practices are assessed so as they are fair and that opportunities to promote equality and deliver positive outcomes for all communities, service users and employees are pursued. We will ensure that the best possible quality local services are provided, appropriate and accessible to the diverse and changing needs of all our residents and service users. We will ensure the information we produce and the way we communicate is effective and accessible – we understand that one size does not fit all. 5. To develop and sustain a skilled and committed workforce able to meet the needs of all local people. Our commitment to equality and diversity is integral to all employment policies, practices and procedures. We will recruit and retain a diverse, highly skilled and motivated workforce and create an inclusive workplace where all of our diverse employees feel engaged and able to be themselves, and are responsive to local communities. We expect our entire workforce to play a role in achieving the equality strategy and will strengthen their skills to work with communities in new ways. We will promote a commitment to equality and human rights with those we work with and require it in those from whom we commission services. Equality Strategy 2019-2024 11
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Roles and responsibilities Everyone who works for the council, whether directly or through commissioning, is responsible for ensuring that the objectives of the Equality Strategy are reflected in the planning and delivery of their services. Youth Equalities and Empowerment Committee This Committee is responsible for taking a lead in ensuring that the Equality Strategy 2019 – 2024 represents a robust and shared vision, meets the needs of the Council, is adopted across the council, and that measures are in place to monitor, challenge and review its progress. Equality Champion This senior political role demonstrates support for equality and diversity matters and initiatives both within the council and across North Lanarkshire’s communities. Elected Members Elected Members have a role to play in championing equal opportunities and promoting cohesion and fostering good relations within their constituencies. They are responsible for paying due regard to equality and human rights in all of their constituency work. Corporate Management Team CMT is responsible for ensuring that the Equality Strategy is robust, integrated into all aspects of service planning and delivery, and is effectively implemented across the council. Individual members are expected to have oversight of the strategy in their areas and ensure that information about the impact of their services on equality and human rights is gathered, made available and evaluated Heads of Service Heads of Service are responsible for ensuring that officers within their areas understand their roles in implementing the strategy and that the strategy is monitored and reviewed. Equality Network Group The Equality Network Group is responsible for ensuring all equality matters are advanced and fit for purpose. Managers All managers are responsible for ensuring that the objectives of the strategy are pursued appropriately within their teams, for gathering and making available information about the impact of their work on different communities and for ensuring that individual staff members understand their specific responsibilities with regard to equality and human rights. Employees All council staff are responsible for conducting their work in a way that supports delivery of the strategy and which demonstrates the council’s values of fairness, respect, equality and excellence. Employee Equality Forum This group, comprises employees from all areas of the council. It is involved in consultation on workforce diversity and equality initiatives. Trades Unions Five recognised trade unions within the Council support their members on matters including diversity and equality and for ensuring that they are consulted on diversity and equality initiatives 12 Equality Strategy 2019-2024
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Measuring performance - The Equality Strategy sits within the Council’s Strategic Policy Framework. As with all strategies performance will be measured using the Strategic Self-evaluation Framework. A regular schedule of self-evaluation will ask the questions: • How well are we doing? • How do we know? • How can we do better? This will allow us to assess the success of the Strategy and facilitate improvement. Links to other key strategies and plans The Plan for North Lanarkshire Community Engagement Strategy A Shared British Sign Language Plan for Lanarkshire Children and Young Peoples Strategy Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan Workforce for the Future Strategy Empowerment Framework Communication Strategy Local Development Plan Local Housing Strategy Digital and IT Strategy Procurement Strategy A Strategy for Carers Tenant Participation Strategy Tackling Poverty Strategy Lanarkshire Mental Health Strategy Sport and Physical Activity Strategy How can we do better? How do we know? How well are we doing? Desktop exercise to identify evidence Individual / group self-reflections and perceptions Independent assessments / residents and service users feedback Equality Strategy 2019-2024 13
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The characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 Age - refers to a person belonging to a particular age (e.g. 32 year olds) or range of ages (e.g. 18 - 30 year olds).. Disability - A person has a disability if s/he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Gender re-assignment -Trans (or transgender) is an umbrella term used by people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from their birth sex. The term includes, but is not limited to, transsexual people and others who define as gender-variant. Trans people may or may not choose to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. Known as gender reassignment or transition this is usually a complex process that takes place over a long period of time. Marriage and civil partnership - Marriage is a union between a man and a woman or between a same- sex couple. Same-sex couples can also have their relationships legally recognised as ‘civil partnerships’. Civil partners must not be treated less favourably than married couples (except where permitted by the Act). Protection is offered in employment. Pregnancy and Maternity - pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding. Race - refers to the protected characteristic of Race. It refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or national origins. Religion or belief or non-belief - religion is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the practices and institutions associated with such belief. Religion takes an almost infinite number of forms in various cultures and individuals, but is dominated by a number of major world religions. Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition. Sex - refers to the biological characteristics (genetic and anatomical) which defines humans as male or female. These characteristics are not mutually exclusive (some individuals possess both) and can be modified, but they function to differentiate humankind as female and male. Sexual orientation - Whether a person’s sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes 14 Equality Strategy 2019-2024
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CEXEC_0001 10.2018 Produced by NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Corporate Communications Chief Executive’s Office Civic Centre Windmillhill Street Motherwell ML1 1AB t. 01698 302141 e. marketing@northlan.gov.uk NORTHLANARKSHIRE.GOV.UK