An inclusive and fairer city

Our goal is for Brighton & Hove to be inclusive, accessible and fair – a place where everyone can thrive.

Why this is important

Everyone should feel included and valued. We want to remove barriers that exclude people from services and prevent them from succeeding because of their identity, background or circumstances.

Diverse residents’ views, experiences and needs should be central to the decisions we make and the services we provide. Listening to and working alongside people will help us to improve access to and the inclusiveness of services that will help people flourish and feel proud that they belong to Brighton & Hove.

The council will embed equality, diversity and inclusion in its mindset, policies, and practices. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist city. Designing and providing anti-racist, inclusive and accessible services for all should be our standard. All our services must recognise the multiple barriers many individuals face.

Through collaboration with residents, communities and voluntary organisations, we will use our combined assets to make sure no one is left behind. We will invest in the community and voluntary sector to support and empower the most vulnerable and make them stronger.

We aim to be a welcoming city where everyone can thrive, including those seeking sanctuary.

What we will do

Engagement and collaboration

We will:

  • publish a community engagement framework setting out what communities can expect from us when we talk to and work with them
  • develop a council wide approach to digital engagement and consultation – enabling a more agile approach to listening and responding
  • launch a Festival of Ideas – working directly with communities to hear their ideas to improve the city
  • refresh and improve how we work with residents, voluntary and community groups, public and private sector organisations as our partners in building a city we can all be proud of
  • collaborate across the wider region, building partnerships to drive change for the benefit of everyone in the city

Fight discrimination and embrace diversity

We will:

  • secure our re-accreditation as a City of Sanctuary
  • deliver the Anti-Racism Strategy
  • deliver the Accessible City Strategy
  • agree a new Gender Equality Strategy
  • support our LGBTQ+ spaces in the city

Work to reduce inequality

We will:

  • develop and deliver a Cost-of-Living Action Plan
  • develop and deliver a new four-year investment prospectus for the community and voluntary sector
  • tackle food poverty and food insecurity for all, including looking at the emergency food needs of Black and Racially Minoritised communities, refugees and asylum seeker communities

How we will measure progress

We will measure:

  • customer satisfaction and ease of access for customers with protected characteristics
  • diversity of our workforce in line with the city’s profile and staff experience of working for the council
  • deliverables from our fair and inclusive action plans which include specific actions at organisation and at service level
  • the average Attainment 8 score for disadvantaged children in state-funded schools at the end of Key Stage 4
  • City of Sanctuary re-accreditation