Essex County Council must meet the general equality duty which came into force in April 2011 and have due regards to the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity between different groups
- foster good relations between different groups
The duty covers age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.
Specific duties came into force on 10 September 2011 to help public bodies to meet the general duty. These regulations will promote the better performance of the equality duty by requiring the publication of:
- equality objectives, at least every four years
- information to demonstrate compliance with the equality duty, at least annually
The
strategy and
supporting monitoring report serves as a guide for the council in directing its general strategic activities: policy development, business transformation, commissioning, service provision, planning and budget allocation. These ensure that fairness is embedded into the ethos of everything we do.