Equality objective 2023-27
Background
The Council is required by law to publish a minimum of one equality objective every 4 years. Such objectives relate to groups of people at risk of disadvantage or discrimination because of their ‘protected characteristics’:
- age
- disability
- sex
- gender re-assignment
- sexual orientation
- marriage and civil partnerships
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
Equality objectives help set the direction for the Council’s work up to 2027 to tackle issues around equality and are reviewed annually.
Guidance published by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission says equalities objectives must be proportionate to the size of the authority and the capacity it has to carry them out.
Commitment to equalities
Making Darlington a fairer place is at the heart of what the Council does. This requires us to have regard to the needs of everyone in the community, and to ensure that groups of people at risk of disadvantage and discrimination are able to access and benefit from services and facilities fairly.
We will continue to include Equality thinking in all decision making and activities, through equalities impact assessment and appropriate staff training. The purpose of equality impact assessment is to understand how proposed changes will affect people with protected characteristics. We will also work with partners to tackle discrimination and inequality across the community
Equality Objective 2023-27
The council’s equality objective for 2023-27 is:
To provide ongoing training and support for staff and members to help them to meet their duties under the Equality Act of 2010, raise awareness of the Equality Policy and ensure residents of Darlington are treated with dignity and respect, and continue to report on progress.
To find more information on what actions are being taken to achieve the objective, and how progress towards the objectives will be monitored, please refer to the Equality Policy [pdf document].