Newark & Sherwood District Council

Public Sector Equality Duty

• How we are meeting the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2010.

The Public Sector Equality Duty places specific duties on public authorities to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
• Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
• Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

The guidance issued by the Government states that it is up to each public body to decide for itself what information it publishes to show its compliance with the Duty. The duties do not require public bodies to ask service users about such issues as their age, sexual orientation or religious belief. They do not require public bodies to publish any more information than is necessary to demonstrate compliance.

The duties the Act places on us as a local authority are a challenge for us to continue to examine our practices and policies to ensure that all our residents and service users are treated equally. The emphasis is not on merely complying with legislation.  We believe that considering how people will be affected by our activities is integral to the work we do. We want to treat everyone fairly, commission and procure services based on their needs and help them feel part of the community and contribute to a fairer society. It is also an opportunity for us to raise the profile of equality and diversity issues across the District and with our partners.

Our approach to Equality and Diversity is one of common sense, bringing people into the heart of everything the council does. Our approach puts people, both our customers and our staff at the heart of what we do and forms the platform for our transparent and fair decision making and service provision.

Equality and Diversity

We are committed to ensuring that we treat everyone who lives, works and visits our district with dignity and respect.

We are further committed to:

• Equality of opportunity
• Tackling discrimination
• Tackling harassment and intimidation
• Promoting good relations through the district

Equality and Diversity Strategy (PDF File, 566kb)

We believe that we have a leading role to play in promoting equal opportunity and valuing diversity in the community, as an employer and as a provider of services to the people within the district and its visitors. We also recognise and are committed to meeting our duties under equality legislation.

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