Foreword
I’m proud of Oxford, the city I was born and raised in. My home city is a dynamic and varied place, with one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country.
In Oxford, we are known for our internationalism and solidarity. We are rich in cultures and heritage. The contribution of all working-class communities and migrants and refugees who have made Oxford their home over decades, are part and parcel of the story of our world-famous city.
We are all Oxford.
I’m the proud daughter of working class, Pakistani, Muslim migrants who made Oxford their home and who helped build our city and country. When my parents first arrived in Oxford more than forty years ago, they did so to build a life for themselves and to support their extended family and help lift them out of poverty. They would never have dreamt that one day, their British, Oxonian, Pakistani, Muslim daughter would be writing these words to introduce this ambitious and bold Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
My own personal identity is entwined with the identities of all who call Oxford home, which is why I am so passionate about working towards creating a more equal and inclusive city for everyone.
Oxford is a city of innovation and talent: of strong, caring, and compassionate thriving communities living together. Communities who have always shown how they pull together to support and care for each other, as witnessed most recently during the Covid -19 pandemic.
Oxford is also a city where there are troubling levels of deprivation and inequalities along the lines of class, race, disabilities, gender, age, and sexual orientation. There are stark differences between the wealth of the town and ‘gown’. We must tackle these inequalities.
This Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy goes to the heart of the city council’s work in tackling inequalities and in creating a truly inclusive city for everyone who calls Oxford home.
This strategy is about action and not just words.
This strategy is about transparency and accountability.
We live in a volatile and fast-changing world, one where many people and communities feel left behind - fearful, exhausted and overwhelmed.
This strategy is our pledge as a city council to work towards creating real and meaningful change with, and for, communities. Side by side with communities, we will work together to make change.
It is only through striving to create real equalities that we can change everyone’s lives for the better and build an inclusive city.
Councillor Shaista Aziz, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Communities at Oxford City Council
Introduction
The last few years have been incredibly difficult, although I could not be prouder of how our city has responded to the pandemic. Oxford has shown a truly inspirational community spirit with people working together, with equality, equity and kindness becoming central to Oxford’s approach.
Commentators and researchers have drawn attention to how systemic shocks can exacerbate existing inequalities, impacting poor and marginalised individuals and communities disproportionately, during, and for years after, the pandemic. Those who belong to the most disadvantaged sections of society have been the same people most likely to be subject to the sharp end when it comes to the impacts of the pandemic.
Michael Marmot’s report, “Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Review”, shows the scale of the challenge we face. The report says, “there is an urgent need to do things differently, to build a society based on the principles of social justice; to reduce inequalities of income and wealth; to build a wellbeing economy that puts the achievement of health and wellbeing, rather than narrow economic goals, at the heart of government strategy”.
Perhaps the starkest example is the social gradient of health; Oxford’s gap in life expectancy is 15 years between the most and least deprived areas (see Office for National Statistics (2019)).
There is every indication that these inequalities are set to worsen. We cannot tackle these deeply engrained inequalities unless we truly understand the issues driving them and take collective, joined-up action working with residents and our partners.
To develop this strategy, we have used the Local Government Association Equalities Framework, which outlines four areas of focus for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI):
- understanding and working with our communities
- leadership and organisational commitment
- responsive services and customer care
- diverse and engaged workforce
Oxfordshire County Council is also following this approach to develop their county-wide EDI strategy, providing coherence between the local and county level. We already incorporate these cross-cutting themes into our work, and we are committed to further action to put these at the heart of everything we do.
