Strategic equality objectives
Shropshire Council seeks to ensure that, like other public authorities, it is compliant with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). Guidance on this was updated by the government in December 2023 and issued to all local authorities.
This duty, as set out in the Equality Act 2010, may be described as the duty on a public authority, when carrying out its functions, to have what is called due regard to three equality aims.
These equality aims are:
- Eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- Advancing equality of opportunity
- Fostering good relations
As a local authority, we must comply with both a general equality duty and with specific duties, as set out in the act.
The general equality duty
To demonstrate full compliance with the general duty, we are required to publish annual information about our workforce and service user diversity.
In terms of meeting the general duty, our annual diversity reports are published on the council website, with reports from previous years retained as well as the most current ones. These are published on the website every year, enabling progress to be charted against the three national aims and our own local objectives.
The legislation specifies that a listed authority must publish its equality information and equality objectives in a manner which is accessible to the public and may publish this information within another published document. To not meet our legal obligations would be to risk intervention by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Specific duties
To demonstrate full compliance with the specific duties, we are required to publish one or more equality objectives which we think we should achieve. The frequency for these objectives to be published is a minimum of every four years.
In terms of meeting our specific duties, we have previously published the equality objectives action plans for 2016 to 2020 and for 2020 to 2024.
The Strategic Equality Objectives Action Plan 2024 to 2028
The Strategic Equality Objectives Action Plan for 2024 to 2028 was approved at cabinet in November 2024.
Publication of the Strategic Equality Objectives Action Plan is a legal requirement under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) set out in the Equality Act 2010. Its production enables the council to not only frame our proposed actions for the next four years but also record and reflect upon progress made in the last four years. This is being achieved despite financial constraints, with a focus upon joint working and best use of resources within the council and across organisational boundaries.
The action plan serves to continue to demonstrate our commitment to tackling racism and other forms of discrimination, harassment and victimisation, to fostering good relations across communities, and to advancing equality of opportunity, through our actions as a council and in partnership with others. This includes support to our workforce as well as to communities, with examples given in the annual service user diversity reports and workforce diversity reports that are also published as per the PSED requirements.
Approval of the Strategic Equality Objectives Action Plan 2024-2028 could also be considered to have potential positive environmental, economic and societal impacts for the wider community across Shropshire, as well as equality and health and wellbeing impacts for people within and across the protected characteristic groupings as currently defined in the Equality Act 2010.
The new Strategic Equality Objectives Action Plan for 2024-2028, attached below, sets out to make the most of the feedback we gain from communities, allied to local and national digital resources, and emerging intelligence and data on inequalities, and to utilise events, celebrations and commemorations through which to raise awareness of the rich diversity of our communities.