Our commitment to equality and diversity

Priority 1: Strengthen the council’s insights and evidence on inequalities and disadvantage

Analyse and use information from census and other council consultations and surveys to strengthen our understanding of the nature and impact of inequalities.

Priority 2: Strengthen relationships with diverse groups in our communities, and specifically those with, or representing those with, protected characteristics

Build relationships with community groups representing protected characteristics (e.g. Disability and Inclusion Forum, KickBack children in care council, Windsor Pride, Windsor and Maidenhead Community Forum), and promote faith and cultural understanding through events, festivals, and engagement.

Priority 3: Ensure engagement activities are inclusive and provide opportunities for community involvement in decision making

• Support identification of stakeholders for engagement, ensuring those with protected characteristics and from under-represented communities are encouraged to participate and have their voices heard.
• Develop and deliver a refreshed Communications and Engagement Strategy to strengthen and update the council’s overarching approach to communications with our communities and other stakeholders *

‘*’ indicates a deliverable which is in the council plan 2026-2027.

Priority 1: Embed a greater awareness of equalities across the organisation

Promote an evidence-based narrative around inequalities in RBWM and raise the profile of equalities work.

Priority 2: Improve the consistency and quality of Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) to influence and support decision-making

Embed Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) into the early stages of policy, strategy, and procurement development, and ensure they are reviewed and updated iteratively throughout the lifecycle of projects to identify and address equality considerations.

Priority 3: Establish clear political and officer leadership on equalities

Ensure elected members demonstrate a strong understanding of local communities and their diverse needs through mandatory equality, diversity and inclusion training.

Priority 1: Ensure that the accessibility of physical and digital spaces and resources is considered in the planning and delivery of policies and services

• Set up a plan for delivering further integration of front-end and back-end systems, and to enhance Report-It features, improve digital access to services, such as the council's website and simplifying transactions and payments and updating reporting *
• Ensure that digital and printed resources continue to meet accessibility requirements.
• Consider the impact of the digitisation of key resources and services and aim to mitigate any negative or exclusionary impacts

Priority 2: Strengthen the incorporation of equality considerations within the development of KPIs and service specifications as part of the pre-procurement process

Embed equality objectives into corporate and service planning by developing and monitoring appropriate KPIs, ensuring alignment with business planning and performance management frameworks, and taking action where risks to delivery are identified.

‘*’ indicates a deliverable which is in the council plan 2026-2027.

Priority 1: Keep our neighbourhoods clean, safe and in a good state of repair through increased investment, partnership working and engagement

• Work in partnership to deliver key priorities for public protection in the reduction of serious violence, crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour and enabling community resilience through community warden engagement *
• Engage with communities most likely to experience accessibility issues, (long term conditions, disabilities and age-related mobility problems) to identify priorities and establish where accessibility improvements have the greatest impact.

Priority 2: Ensure that every child in the borough is able to experience positive outcomes in childhood, through healthy living, readiness to learn, and positive parenting, and support targeted at those most at risk

Work to reduce gaps in attainment in reading, writing and mathematics between children in receipt of the Pupil Premium grant and their peers, including the creation of a borough Education Board, with a strategy and plan launched in November 2025 *

Priority 3: Provide access to the right support to residents at the right time, in the right place, with a focus on early help and prevention, to maintain and extend independent living

Develop more 'lifetime homes' in Windsor and up to 18 'Shared Lives' arrangements borough-wide, enabling people with learning disabilities to live independently or with families, reducing out-of-borough placements and enhancing value for money *

Priority 4: Help to reduce the impact of cost of living rises on our residents, with a focus on those most at risk, through targeted financial and practical support *

• Work with a range of partners to support residents experiencing financial difficulties, with a focus on those most at risk - through targeted financial and practical support including Here to Help, Household Support Fund, and providing financial advice *
• Review and revise housing strategies, policies, practice and procurement to provide improved service and accommodation solutions to those who are homeless or seeking provision of social housing *

Priority 5: Embed accessibility into the planning and design of our streetscape, buildings and public spaces

Review accessibility as part of the new Local Transport Plan.

‘*’ indicates a deliverable which is in the council plan 2026-2027.

Priority 1: Continue to encourage and welcome increasing numbers of job applications from candidates with disabilities, who are care leavers, and from the Armed Forces community

• Continue to encourage and welcome job applications from disabled candidates using the Disability Confident Scheme (current accreditation runs until October 2025), which guarantees disabled applicants who meet the minimum job criteria an interview.
• Provide support and opportunities to ex-military and reservists as supporters of the Armed Forces Covenant and holders of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award.
• Provide training and employment opportunities to borough care leavers in our capacity as Corporate Parent

Priority 2: Seek to understand the needs of employees with protected characteristics through engagement with employee networks and data gathering through staff surveys and personal diversity records

• Continue to support the council’s organisational intelligence capability in relation to protected characteristics data shared by existing employees, with a focus on improve the number of staff providing information about ethnicity and religion.
• Continue to work with the council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion staff network to promote a culture of inclusion and to develop wellbeing support relevant to our workforce.

Priority 3: Deliver a range of measures to improve opportunities for those who want to combine work with family or caring responsibilities

• Continue to offer a wide range of flexible working options including a flexi-time scheme, part-time working, term-time only working, nine-day fortnights, remote working, and flexible retirement.
• Continue to support employees who are foster carers through additional paid leave, reinforcing our commitment to maintaining our Fostering Friendly Employer accreditation with the Fostering Network.
• To support families with military connections, as supporters of the Armed Forces Covenant and holders of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award.
• Maintain the ‘family friendly’ policies which are part of the Members Allowances scheme, including a Dependants’ Carer’s Allowance, and maternity, adoption and paternity leave.

Priority 4: Commit to becoming an anti-racist organisation

Develop an action plan to enable the review of policies, procedures and decisions through an anti-racist lens.

‘*’ indicates a deliverable which is in the council plan 2026-2027.