The Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality Act 2010 introduced a new Public Sector Equality Duty that was brought into effect in April 2011. This duty places both general and specific duties on public bodies, such as Woking Borough Council, which they need to comply with in order to fulfil the requirements set out in the Equality Act. The general duty requires all public bodies to have due regard to the need to:

  • Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
  • Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
  • Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The Act further explains that having due regard for advancing equality involves:

  • Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
  • Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.
  • Encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.

The Specific Duties

The two specific duties within the Public Sector Equality Duty require all public bodies to:

  • Publish information that shows how they have complied with the Equality Duty annually
  • Set equality objectives for the organisation

Showing compliance

Our equality priorities have been revised in consultation with local community organisations representing the protected characteristics. We also publish information to demonstrate our compliance with the Equality Duty:

- as part of the annual service planning process and published annually.

- as part of all committee report and consequently decisions made by the Council;

- as part of the project proposal for all new projects, activities and reviews of services

The EIA template has been updated to ensure all the protected characteristics are considered when making decisions and we comply with our legal duties under the Equality Act 2010.

  • Surrey-i, our local information system, publishes information about our residents and communities. This helps to demonstrate the outcomes experienced by residents with different protected characteristics.

Consultation and involvement form an integrated part of the Councils work to ensure we know our communities and services are appropriate and accessible for all those that require them. The Councils Facilitation Network ensures this is done effectively and to a high standard.

  • We publish workforce profiles annually, including information on leavers, recruitment, training, promotions, disciplinaries and grievances.

As part of this duty, the council also has a responsibility to ensure that partners, companies and organisations we commission to provide services on our behalf take the same positive approach to equality and diversity.