Equality Scheme with Equality Action Plan 2023-2027 - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Introduction
Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act1998
1.1 Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (the Act) requires Mid and East Antrim Council to comply with two statutory duties:
Section 75 (1)
In carrying out our functions relating to Northern Ireland we are required to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between
- persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation
- men and women generally
- persons with a disability and persons without
- persons with dependants and persons without.
Section 75 (2)
In addition, without prejudice to the obligations above, in carrying out our functions in relation to Northern Ireland we are required to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.
“Functions” include the “powers and duties” of a public authority2. This includes our employment and procurement functions.
Please see below under “Who we are and what we do” for a detailed explanation of our functions.
How we propose to fulfil the Section 75 duties in relation to the relevant functions of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
1.2 Schedule 9 4. (1) of the Act requires Mid and East Antrim Borough Council as a designated public authority to set out in an Equality Scheme how it proposes to fulfil the duties imposed by Section 75 in relation to its relevant functions. This Equality Scheme is intended to fulfil that statutory requirement. It is both a statement of our arrangements for fulfilling the Section 75 statutory duties and our plan for their implementation.
1.3 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is committed to the discharge of its Section 75 obligations in all parts of our organisation and we will commit the necessary available resources in terms of people, time and money to ensure that the Section 75 statutory duties are complied with and that our Equality Scheme can be implemented effectively.
The roles and responsibilities of councils, established in the Local Government Act 2014 and in other legislation, fall into four types:
Direct – councils are responsible for the provision and management of services
Development – councils have a role in facilitating economic and community development initiatives
Representative – council nominees sit on statutory bodies
Consultative – councils reflect community views and concerns, and provide a challenge function, in a range of issues including education, health and housing.
From April 2015, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will be responsible for:
- Arts and Entertainment
- Biodiversity
- Building maintenance and contract management
- Building regulation
- Civic functions
- Community Development
- Community Safety
- Consumer Safety
- Control of communicable diseases and food poisoning
- Corporate Health and Safety
- Corporate Planning
- Corporate projects
- Dangerous buildings
- Dog and Pest Control
- Economic Development including local economic development, Start a Business Programme and Enterprise Shows, Youth Entrepreneurship
- Emergency Planning liaison
- Energy performance of buildings
- Environment and Countryside
- Environmental protection
- Equality legislation
- Estate management
- EU Rural Development Programme
- Financial Services
- Food control
- Good Relations
- Grounds maintenance – including horticulture, cemeteries, parks and play areas
- Health and Safety
- Home Safety
- Housing
- Registration of houses in multiple occupation, housing unfitness responsibilities including repair and demolition notices
- Information systems and technology
- Internal Audit
- Leisure Facilities
- Licensing
- Local Tourism including small scale tourism accommodation development; providing business support including business start up advice along with training and delivery of customer care schemes, and providing advice to developers on tourism policies and related issues
- Member services
- Museum Service
- Neighbourhood renewal – enterprise initiatives
- Off street car parking
- Parks and Open spaces
- PCSP – Policing and Community Safety Partnership
- Personnel, training and development
- Planning- to include: local development plan functions, development control and enforcement, postal naming and numbering
- Property certificates
- Public Health
- Purchasing and Tendering
- Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- Sports Development
- Street cleansing – including public conveniences
- Sustainable Development
- Tourism and visitor attractions
- Town Hall facilities
- Urban regeneration and community development including functions associated with physical development
- Vehicle and plan maintenance
- Waste Management – including Recycling & Disposal
Continue to Chapter 2 - Our arrangements for assessing our compliance with the Section 75 Duties