Southend Insights

Equality Act and Duty

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) came into force in October 2010 and replaced a range of previous anti-discriminatory laws with a single Act.

The Act identified nine protected characteristics and these are set out below and are covered by the Equality Duty:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and Civil Partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Race - this includes ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality
• Religion or Belief - this includes lack of belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

The Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality Duty can be found in section 149 of the Act and came into force on the 5th April 2011. The Equality Duty applies to Southend Borough Council and any organisations it has contracts with who carry out public functions on behalf of the Council.

The Duty has three aims these are:

1. eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act;
2. advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and
3. foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

The Equality Duty is supported by Specific Duties which came into force on the 10th September 2011. The Specific Duties require the Council to publish relevant, proportionate information demonstrating our compliance with the Equality Duty and to help us set specific, measurable equality objectives.

What do we need to publish?

The information published must include:

• Equality information relating to our workforce who share protected characteristics
• Equality information relating to the people who live in Southend-on- Sea as they are the people affected by the Council's policies and practices when buying or not buying health and social care services.

Information to identify equality issues

• The Council's Workforce Profile, 

2011
2012

• The Govmetric Report Equalities report (The Council's GovMetric system provides a quick and easy way for customers to provide us with direct feedback every day)

2011
2012 Report
2012 Narative

 

• Service User Information (December 2011)
• The Single Equality Scheme, Consultation  and Progress Report 2012

To access these documents please see Related Downloads and select Southend Insights - Equality and Inclusion.

Wider information

In addition to the above information the Council refers to a wider range of equalities information when developing policies these include but are not limited to the following;

• Relevant national studies produced by central Government departments, including Census information
• Information pooled with other Local Authorities - Local Government Improvement Development
• The Workplace and Gender Reassignment guidance 2011(A:Gender)

Specialist equality organisations

• Equality and Diversity Forum
• Business in the Community Research Centre
• Equality and Human Rights Commission
• Gender identify Research and Education Society
• Equality Britain
• Government Equalities Office
• Fawcett Society
• Stonewall
• Changing Faces
• Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion
• Runnymede Trust

Through the plans set out in our Single Equalities Scheme and equality objectives in our Annual report and Corporate Plan we are identifying gaps in our equalities information and taking action to fill them.

The Council will update and publish its equality information annually.
For further information please contact us at equalities@southend.gov.uk