What is the policy/strategy/function/trying to achieve/do?
This is part of wider savings through the council’s budget-setting process and aims to achieve a 10% saving from the Corporate Communications budget, which equates to £140,000.
If this is a budget saving, how will the saving be achieved?
A 10% reduction can be achieved through a structure review and operational budget reduction.
Specifically, this would be from a combination of a reduction in staff resource through the deletion of posts in line with the Council's redundancy policy and a reduction in operational budget.
A focus remains on the effective delivery of external communications, content creation and campaigns but the savings will result in a reduction of high-quality campaign and communications output and delivery of events that could impact on service objectives.
There is no proposal for targeted reduction of posts based on protected characteristics.
Any staffing changes will be subject to HR policy, consultation and equality monitoring.
Give details of the impact it has on groups and individuals
Internal stakeholders:
- Employees within Corporate Communications (communications, marketing and digital staff, graphic and multi-media designers, events, administration staff)
- Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team
- Elected Members
- Trade Unions
- HR
- Other council services
External stakeholders:
- ALEOs
- Public
- Partners – NHSL, SLC, Police Scotland, SFRS, VANL etc.
- Clients
A desktop assessment has been carried out:
- Strategic Workforce Plans;
- Budget modelling and medium-term financial strategy;
- Current staffing establishment data;
- Channel review results (in progress) and workload demand profiling
- HR equality monitoring data;
Corporate Communications requires to comply with relevant legislation in a timely manner in order to ensure specific audiences have access to information to support them.
Relevant accessibility legislation:
- (Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018)
- Civil Contingencies Act 2004
- Fairer Scotland Duty in Equality Act 2010
- Local Authority Publicity: Code of Practice - under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986, as amended by section 27 of the Local Government Act 1988.
Corporate Communications supplies a range of information to the general public but also to targeted audiences such as tenants, families on low income, people at risk of suicide/low mood with specific information to support them in their individual situation. We also supply a range of methods to support people with vision/hearing issues or to produce materials in a different languages or formats. All of these supports may be impacted with a reduction in staffing to deliver. There will be a workaround to ensure that information is disseminated.
What actions/measures will be put in place or are planned to mitigate any adverse impact or promote equality?
No specific equality risks have been identified.
What is the result/recommendations of the EqIA
Introduce the policy.