Being a fair and inclusive council

At Portsmouth City Council we are strongly committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and will endeavour to ensure that we go beyond our legal obligations in these areas and continually look to improve our processes and policies, to ensure they deliver for all our residents in all our communities.

The following mission statement was developed in collaboration with our communities:

We believe and recognise that the diversity of our population is one of our greatest strengths and assets. We will champion diversity, equity and inclusion, cultivating a safe environment for staff, residents and businesses to achieve their full potential through empowerment, innovation and freedom of expression. We will work with staff, communities and partners to eliminate discriminatory barriers and ensure that everyone within Portsmouth has a sense of shared, common belonging and understanding.

Equality

This means ensuring that all our workforce, residents and visitors are treated fairly and are given the same, as much as reasonably possible, life chances. One way of achieving it is through provision of equal access to the services and employment opportunities we offer.

However, it is important to understand that equality is not about treating everyone in the same way, as people have different needs that may need to be met by considering individual circumstances.

Therefore, the council takes an equitable approach to design and deliver services based on the specific needs of a segment of our community, for example, people with disabilities or older people.

Diversity

Diversity is about recognising and championing individual differences of our workforce, residents and visitors. Diversity is closely linked to equality as it is through understanding and valuing differences between the people of Portsmouth that equality can be furthered.

Inclusion

Inclusion is all about creating an environment where everyone, regardless of their background, can be themselves, feel valued and can fully participate. It goes beyond simply having diversity.