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Equality and diversity

We recognise that disadvantage and discrimination are still experienced across the district and people may experience more than one form of discrimination at some stage in their lives.

The Council are resolute that disadvantage and discrimination have no place in our district, and we will work within our powers to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different groups, to work towards a brighter future together.

We strive to go beyond our legal duties as a council and our commitment to advancing equality, celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion across our services and workforce underpins our council priorities of People First and A Brighter Future Together.

We value all our residents, businesses, staff, contractors, councillors, and other partners, and place them at the heart of everything we do and plan for the long term to secure the best outcomes for our people, towns, villages and the local economy.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The Council has a key role to play in advancing equality, fostering good relations between different groups within our community, and helping those who are disadvantaged to feel heard and represented.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2022-2027) sets out our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, building on our previous Corporate Equality Strategy (2017). It demonstrates our continued commitment towards fulfilling our legal obligations as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Public Sector Equality Duty

The Public Sector Equality Duty came into force across the United Kingdom on 5 April 2011. It requires public bodies to consider all individuals when carrying out their day-to-day work – in shaping policy, in delivering services and in relation to their own employees.

The Equality Duty is section 149 of the Equality Act. It is a duty of public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people carrying out their activities.

Equality objectives

The Strategy sets out specific equality objectives:

  • work with young people through youth engagement to make it easier for them to have their voices heard in local decision-making and democracy
  • improve our engagement with marginalised, seldom heard, and new communities to make it easier for them to participate in local decision-making and democracy, and to have their views and experiences heard by the council
  • improve our understanding of broader EDI issues and their impacts, such as neurodiversity and economic disadvantage; as well as the intersections between inequalities, using our Inclusion Group officer group as a channel
  • achieve consistency in measuring the likely equality impacts of our emerging policies and services.

Each of these objectives has a corresponding measure within the Strategy. These objectives are underpinned by the current People First and Brighter Future Together Priorities of the Council Plan.

Equality analysis

Equality analysis provides a way for the council to consider the effect of decisions on different groups protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010.

We must demonstrate that any analysis:

  • contains sufficient information to enable a public authority to show it has given due regard to the equality duty in its decision making
  • identifies methods for mitigating or avoiding adverse impact (either disproportionate disadvantage aor unlawful discrimination)
  • considers if there are any unintended consequences for some groups
  • considers if the policy / decision will be fully effective for all target groups.

We are committed to complete equality analysis for policy decisions made by the authority. (i.e. key decisions that have an impact on equality issues, major budget implications and any major service revisions.)

Completed equality analyses are published together with council meeting agendas and reports.

An annual cumulative equality assessment is also produced.

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