Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) The Cork City Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) 2016- 2021 ‘Pure Cork’ is an action driven plan used to guide economic and community development. The plan seeks to build on the structures, work and achievements of Cork 2012 – Imagine Our Future (Cork City Council, 2001) and on the work of the Cork City Development Board (the previous local government co-ordinating structure). Imagine Our Future was central to generating the delivery of creative initiatives such as the Cork City Learning Forum, Cork Lifelong Learning Festival, the Discovery Science Exhibition, the Cork City Inter-Agency Traveller Group, Cork Healthy Cities, and inter-agency work on LGBT. Some of these initiatives continue, while some have been succeeded by others. Among key local co-ordinating structures in the Pure Cork LECP Plan are: Cork City Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force; The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Steering Group; Cork City of Sanctuary Movement; Project Refocus; the Joint Policing Committee; Cork Music Education Partnership and Music Generation Cork; Cork Food Policy Council; RAPID (Revitalising Areas through Planning, Investment & Development); Cork Age Friendly City; the Cork Children and Young People’s Services Committee (CYPSC); Northside for Business, Growing More than Apples; Homeless Integrated Strategy; among others. The report published by the Social Inclusion Unit at Cork City Council under the European project “Ireland in Social Europe: Challenging Perceptions, Changing Realities” in 2013, called “Building co -ordination around communities and local needs: the future of a mor e inclusive Europe,” highlighted the need to str engthen the co-ordination of services at local level to tackle deprivation and social exclusion, with a need at national and European level to show leadership on working for the integration and co-ordination of services at local level. Public Sector Equality & Human Rights Duty The Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty places a statutory obligation on public bodies to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and protect the human rights of staff and of those to whom they provide services when carrying out their daily work. The Duty is set out in Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has a mandate to give guidance and encourage public bodies in developing policies and good practice in relation to human rights and equality. The Duty puts equality and human rights in the mainstream of how public bodies carry out their functions. To that end, it has the potential to positively transform how public bodies engage with members of the public and their own staff. Cork City Council self-nominated to be the pilot urban local authority for the IHREC pilot project. The People and Organisation Development Directorate led a working group from across the organisation to implement the project incorporating the following steps: The working group engaged extensively with staff, community groups, access groups, Local Community Development Committee, the HSE and An Garda Siochana. All the consultations and engagements were underpinned by the Human Rights and Equality Values that are important to Cork City Council: Respect & Dignity; Diversity & Inclusion; Participation & Engagement; Equal Access & Fair Treatment and Transparency. As a result of our participation in the IHREC pilot project, Cork City Council is committed to embedding the Public Sector Duty into our people strategy, corporate planning process and our organisational activities and plans. The ultimate aim is that human rights and equality matters evolve from a statutory duty on public bodies to be an integral part of organisational culture – ‘ the way we do things around here ’. Cork City Council is committed to embedding the Public Sector Duty into its Corporate Planning Process.
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