Skip to content

Roadshow celebrates equality and diversity across the districts 

‘What does equality mean to you?’ – that’s a question officers from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils will be asking residents on their Equalities Roadshows starting on Tuesday 21 October. 

Council officers will be travelling across the districts to speak to the public about what the councils are doing to support equality – whether that is financial help for those with disabilities, recognising the LGBTQ+ community and standing against hate crime, to supporting equal opportunities and pay in the workplace. 

Both councils adopted a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy in 2022 and have Diversity and Social Campaign calendars which reflect a range of awareness days supporting different faiths, LGBTQ+ events, health campaigns and more. 

The roadshows start next week and will take place during market days across southern Oxfordshire on the following dates: 

  • Thame – Tuesday 21 October, Thame Market Place 8am – 3pm 
  • Wantage – Wednesday 22 October, Wantage Market Place, 8am- 3pm 
  • Abingdon – Monday 3 November, Abingdon Market Place, 8am – 3pm 
  • Henley – Thursday 13 November, Henley Market Place, 8am – 3pm  
  • Wallingford – Friday 21 November, Wallingford Town Hall, 9am – 2pm 
  • Didcot – date and location TBC

Cllr Max Thompson Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “These roadshows will be a good way for us to understand what the public wants to see us do in respect of equality and diversity with our services, and what is important to them.  

“We want to make sure that the Vale is a place where everyone feels that they belong and that their voices will be heard.” 

Cllr Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Policy and Programmes at South Oxfordshire District Council said: “Diversity and inclusion is an important aspect of every service we provide. We want all members of the public to know how we can help them and to understand if there are any areas we could improve on. 

“Inclusion can mean different things to different people, and it is important that everyone feels valued regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation or race.” 

The concept for the roadshows came from a motion in July 2024, from Cllrs Max Thompson and Jill Rayner from Vale of White Horse District Council who wanted to do more to show how proud the council is of recognising and supporting the importance of equality and diversity and making it clear to residents and businesses how they were doing this. 

Ends 

Notes for Editors: 

There are more details about the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy on the Vale/South website. 

The motion raised by Cllr Max Thompson in July 2024 can be found on the Vale website.