Equality

• All-male Liverpool City Region cabinet told to nominate a woman

  A group of civil society leaders have come together to demand the all-male Liverpool City Region (LCR) cabinet includes one woman among their number.

  

• Gov 'lacks ambition' in tackling gender inequality in councils

  Whitehall has been accused of a ‘complete lack of ambition’ after it rejected calls to ensure 45% of local government candidates are female through the use of fines and new laws.

  

• Muslims face ‘greatest economic disadvantages’ of any faith group, report finds

  Muslims experience the greatest economic disadvantages of any faith group in UK society, a social mobility commission report warns.

  

• A third of equal pay claims still not settled by Scottish councils

  Councils in Scotland have spent £750m settling equal pay claims since 2004, with 27,000 claims still outstanding, a public spending watchdog has revealed.

  

• Disabilities in a time of austerity

  Are councils really complicit in the humans rights violation of disabled people? William Eichler investigates.

  

• Thousands of council staff in Glasgow win equal pay ruling

  Glasgow City Council will look into making payments to potentially thousands of women workers after a court ruling suggested that the council might have been paying them less than their male colleagues.

  

• New reforms to help sight impaired people to vote

  Local authorities will now be allowed to use records to help ensure people with a vision impairment receive accessible voting information.

  

• Local government reforms undermined by ‘depressing’ lack of female representation, report finds

  Council chiefs say progress in achieving gender balance in local government should be made at a ‘faster pace’ after think tank warns of a lack of women in top jobs.

  

• Report reveals rise in premature deaths among Northern young adults

  A new report has revealed an ‘alarming rise’ in the number of people dying before their time in the North.

  

• Report warns of living standard gaps among ethnic groups

  Large gaps in living standards still exist between various ethnic groups in Britain, a think tank has warned.