Waltham Forest Council has become the first local authority in London to sign the National Disability Employment Charter, marking a significant step towards becoming a more inclusive employer. The move was highlighted during a meeting of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny on Thursday, 10 July 2025, as part of a broader discussion on the council's progress in addressing health inequities.
As part of its commitments under the National Disability Employment Charter, Waltham Forest has undertaken several initiatives this year. These include running a campaign to encourage staff to share their equalities data, which is currently under-reported but crucial for understanding the diverse profiles of the council's workforce. The council aims to use this data to make meaningful changes, such as improving peer support, providing accessible facilities, and addressing issues like the disability pay gap and recruitment practices. The council has also developed a digital reasonable adjustment passport
to support important conversations between employees and their managers, and joined the Business Disability Forum helpline service, which offers resources, toolkits, and practical information, and provides access to disability advisors who can help line managers and leaders with all disability-related queries.
The signing of the charter is part of Waltham Forest's response to the 2022 report, 'A Fairer and Healthier Waltham Forest: Equity and the Social Determinants in Waltham Forest', produced by the UCL Institute of Health Equity. The council's response, 'Building a Fairer and Healthier Waltham Forest: Our response to the Marmot recommendations', finalized in January 2024, outlines a commitment to tackling health inequalities through various initiatives.
The council's response focuses on three priority areas:
- Good Work, Better Health
- Healthier Homes
- Greener and Healthier Places
Within these areas, six 'Marmot Accelerators' have been identified to target specific populations and issues. One of these accelerators is 'Good work for residents with disabilities and long-term health conditions'.
The report presented to the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny noted that significant progress has been made in providing targeted coaching, training, and in-work support to adults with long-term conditions and disabilities. This includes Individual Placement and Support (IPS) schemes in primary care and substance misuse services, which supported 76 people with long-term health conditions into employment during 2024/25.
The council has also launched a council-wide Inclusion Action Plan, including specific actions to make Waltham Forest a 'radically fairer' place to work. This plan aims to address barriers faced by colleagues living with disabilities.
The Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) screener template determined that there was no impact on the council's equality duty because an initial screening exercise, which can be found in Appendix 2 of the Public Reports Pack, determined there was no impact on the Council's equality duty, and therefore a full Equalities Impact Assessment was not required in relation to this report.