Barking and Dagenham is set to implement a new Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, titled Building a Fairer Future Together,
aiming to address inequalities and promote cohesion within the borough.
The strategy, discussed at a meeting of the Health & Wellbeing Board and ICB Sub-Committee on Tuesday, 4 November 2025, focuses on four key objectives: closing equality gaps, providing fair and accessible public services, promoting cohesion and integration, and being an inclusive employer. The council aims to address the high level of poverty experienced by residents, with 62.4% of households experiencing one marker of deprivation and 42% of children living in poverty, as detailed in the council's Foundations for Change: Tackling Poverty
Strategy 2025/26, included in the meeting reports pack.
Councils in the UK are required by statute to have equality objectives under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as set out in the Equality Act 2010. The strategy aims to address the high level of inequality faced by the diverse and changing population. Each section outlines what is known about inequalities in that area and reports on an area of focus, the story so far, and next steps.
The strategy focuses on five particularly vulnerable groups in the borough: lone parents, large families with 3+ children, people with disabilities or long-term ill health, care leavers, and young people with mental ill-health and NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
Initial areas of focus include increasing child maintenance take up, supporting those affected by the benefit cap who could claim disability benefit, improving access to affordable and healthy food, addressing material barriers to employment, cost of essentials for parents with young children, and improving transitions for care leavers. A longer-term Anti-Poverty Board will be established to bring together key internal and external stakeholders to set a vision for the medium term for tackling Poverty in Barking and Dagenham.
An annual progress report will be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee appraising progress against the action plan and highlighting key achievements. The Building a Fairer Future Together
- Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2025-2029 summary states that An annual progress report will be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee appraising progress against the action plan and highlighting key achievements.
Councillor Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, highlighted the council's commitment to co-production, noting the appointment of a cabinet champion dedicated to developing co-production across the board. She acknowledged the challenges in achieving real co-production but reaffirmed the council's dedication to the process.
Matthew Cole, Director of Public Health, emphasized the importance of cultural competence in interventions, acknowledging the need for improvement in data collection and analysis to ensure effective targeting of underserved populations. He also outlined plans to use the Optum population health management tool to enhance the targeting of health inequalities. Cole noted that the council has invested in Optum to consolidate council, NHS, and voluntary sector data into a population health management tool. While Optum is currently functional with user access and some key datasets, it doesn't yet encompass wider determinants like housing and faces challenges in capturing comprehensive ethnicity data. Full development of this aspect is estimated to take around two years.
Elspeth Paisley, Health Lead at BD Collective, welcomed the power-sharing approach and emphasized the importance of community ownership in prevention efforts. She stressed the need to embed co-production with the community across all aspects of service delivery.
Dr Kanika Rai noted the importance of addressing non-medical issues affecting patients and highlighted the need for a multidisciplinary approach. She also emphasized the importance of communication and trust between general practice and other services.
The EDI strategy is one of several key initiatives discussed at the meeting, including the Director of Public Health's annual report and updates on neighbourhood working and NHS system strategies. These initiatives collectively aim to improve the health and wellbeing of residents and create a fairer future for all in Barking and Dagenham. More information can be found on the council's website and in the meeting reports pack.
