“Not sure what is meant by 'where appropriate', but the overall objective seems otherwise sound.” “ALL young people should be prevented from becoming offenders” 4.13 Objective - Protected groups’ needs will be considered within all highways and transport schemes as well as the schemes potential to advance equality of opportunity 91% of respondents understood the objective and 81% thought it was relevant to equality outcomes. Comments include: “This is particularly relevant to people with sight and mobility related impairments, to older people and so on. (the need for on-board spoken announcements in buses in Kent; courtesy crossings/shared space environments; proliferation of A-boards in town centres. This also ties in with the objective to increase participation, as poorly designed streets/highways create no-go areas for some protected groups.” “Planning and design to result in a better-integrated public transport system in Kent. Easier to travel West-east by public transport; can be a nightmare to go “It's not clear why this objective is restricted to a small group of protected characteristics.” “I think protected groups need to be more than considered, they need to be actively engaged with (e.g. disability groups). Also, gender is not a protected characteristic, sex is.” “This should be enforceable across all transport options - at the moment a lot of the rail network does not achieve this” 4.14 Objective - The needs of all members of the community will be considered when investing in roads facilities and utilities that are delivered to meet the needs of Kent’s population changes 95% of respondents understood the objective. 81%thought it was relevant to equality outcomes. Comments included: “Relevant for an ageing population of Kent and disabled people where there would need to be alternative/special facilities perhaps.” “Information to be accessible i.e. BSL, Audio etc.” “It's a bit broad - how is addressing the needs of all the community assisting with equalities?” “All should mean all”
The reporting mechanism for the objectives must be clear. We have clarified how the objectives will be reported under the section ‘Our Performance’. We should use simple language. We have made the language and purpose of the policy as clear and simple as possible. We have developed an easy read version of the policy and it has been proposed that the widely published version of the policy and objectives should be in “easy read” supported by a more detailed policy. Objectives must be specific about which protected characteristic is being addressed. Where possible we have stated which characteristics each objective seeks to address. We must make sure that equality objectives are not lost when services are procured or commissioned. We have included contractors, procured and commissioned services in the section on accountability and have clarified our expectations in relation to the Equality Duty. We will share our equality objectives through our commissioning and procurement cycles and identify where those objectives will need to be delivered by those who are delivering services on our behalf. We must focus on areas of We have made the policy clearer and have an entire section on accountability. We should have a more positive position on Equality. We have considered the language that we use and have worked to ensure that the objectives are positive serving to build on some of the excellent practice that is already in place. Equality Objectives should make a real difference. We have developed equality objectives that are based on our understanding of the equality priorities in services