Public sector equality duty
The council is firmly committed to the principles of equality and inclusion in both employment and service provision. We are keen to celebrate the diversity of people who live and work in Wiltshire.
This means making our services accessible to all, treating people fairly and providing a fully inclusive working environment.
We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination and are committed to building a workforce which broadly reflects the diversity of the local community. By working with partner agencies, organisations and community groups, we can promote equality and inclusion within Wiltshire.
To reflect this commitment and our Public Sector Equality Duty obligations under the Equality Act, we work to the following principles:
- The information that we provide - for instance, through the Wiltshire magazine and our website - will be continually improved so that it better reflects the diversity of the local community and is accessible
- We will pay due regard to equality and inclusion issues in all of our decision-making, including when we develop new policies and when carrying out large programmes of work (e.g. transforming services, building new homes)
- When working with partners, including contractors, we will continually ensure that robust consideration is given to equality and inclusion issues
- Our service provision will become more inclusive through actively monitoring and responding to the needs and preferences of our diverse community
- We will actively engage and empower under-represented groups through the broadening of our consultation processes and the strengthening of our links with community representatives
- We will build a workforce that can broadly reflect the diversity of the local community, improving access to careers within the council
- In order to improve the way we provide services, equality and inclusion will be embedded in the practice of staff and managers through training, monitoring and development
We have a corporate steering group working specifically on equality, diversity and inclusion. This group is made up of various heads of service representing the different directorates across the council. It is chaired by Kate Blackburn, Director of Public Health.
Contact details:
Executive Office
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
BA14 8JN
Publishing Equalities Information and setting Equalities Objectives is part of Wiltshire council's compliance with the Equality Act (2010) and the council's demonstration of meeting the Public Sector Equality Duty.
The overall aim is to give a high level picture of how the council is tackling inequality and what action it is taking to make improvements
We have looked at a range of information drawn from a variety of resources and have highlighted a few examples which demonstrate how we are using this information to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty.
The current Equality Objectives 2023 - 2026 are:
- Deliver on the vision of the Inclusive Workforce Strategy
- Achieve an excellent standard of understanding and working with our communities, measured against the Equality Framework for local government
For a copy of the full objectives and action plan please contact equality@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)
- The Equality Advisory Support Service (opens new window) exists to advise and assist individuals on issues relating to equality and human rights
- National Guidance available on the Equality and Human Rights Commission (opens new window) website
- GOV.UK: Equality Act - guidance: how it might affect you (opens new window) from the Government Equalities Office
- The government's easy read version (opens new window) of the Equality Act
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