Diversity in Moray gets thumbs-up from Audit Scotland

Moray’s performance on equalities has been highlighted as an example of good practice in a national report on diversity.

Audit Scotland assessed 226 public bodies to ensure the £40billion of public money was being spent properly.

As part of that audit, what was being done to encourage and promote equality in public service was assessed.

As part of the Best Value report by Audit Scotland, Moray Council was described as maintaining its momentum in improved leadership and training on equality. Further, it said that Moray has set refreshed equality outcomes and is monitoring and reporting on progress against them, as well as routinely conducting equality impact assessments.

In an article for ICAS (the professional body representing chartered accountants) on promoting diversity and equality in public service, , Assistant Director for Audit Scotland,Gillian Woolman, gave three examples of diversity in action; social work in Scotland, Self-directed support programmes in the country, and Moray Council’s Best Value Audit.

Read her article here

The Convener of Moray Council, Cllr James Allan – who is also the authority’s Equalities Champion - said the council has come a long way in ensuring that equalities considerations are built into all its processes.

“I’m glad that Audit Scotland holds us up as a model in this area,” he said.

“It is fair to say the council has come a long way in the last 20 years in addressing this important issue, and I genuinely feel we are better at all aspects of our operations as a result.”

Cllr Allan praised the work of the council’s equalities officer, Don Toonen, for his role in ensuring the council has such a good record.

“Thanks to Don and our senior managers, any decision the council now makes has been tested against equalities legislation. These Equalities Impact Assessments (EIAs) have been particularly useful as part of the council’s budget process, and is a major consideration during any re-design of services.”

The EIAs ensure that minority groups are not disproportionately affected by a proposal.

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Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live. Nestling between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, Moray stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Brodie Castle in the west.