Policy statement
The West Sussex Diversity and Inclusion policy statement sets out the County Council’s commitment to deliver fair and inclusive services for all West Sussex communities.
“West Sussex County Council is committed to equality of opportunity, valuing diversity and eliminating unlawful discrimination. Our approach to diversity and inclusion is embedded in the four priorities in Our Council Plan. We will monitor how well we do as part of performance reporting on our West Sussex Plan priorities.
"We have developed a set of values that reflect the kind of organisation we want to be and how we engage with our employees, customers and partners on a day-to-day basis. Upholding these values plays a crucial role in our ability to achieve our vision for West Sussex. We want to be an organisation which lives and breathes these values, where everyone who works for us can do so in an empowered and collaborative way for the good of all our communities.”
Equality duty
West Sussex County Council will meet its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 (as set out in the appendix). The Act says people should not be treated differently or unfairly because of the following ‘protected characteristics’:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation.
In its actions and when taking decisions or planning policies, we will consider the need to:
- stop unlawful discrimination
- improve equality of opportunity
- encourage good relationships between those with protected characteristic and those without.
Objectives
Our equality objectives are included within Our Council Plan priorities.
Action
Everyone who is part of West Sussex County Council will make sure the equality duty is met in their day-to-day work and when they make decisions. We do this through the following actions.
Equality Impact Assessment
All decisions taken by the council should include consideration of the equality duty and the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
Decision reports include an assessment of the equalities implications of proposals and how, if necessary, these will be mitigated for people with characteristics whose interests are protected by law.
Quality Assurance process
We also have a Quality Assurance (QA) process which provides a governance framework for any research, consultation or engagement activity that requires public or external engagement. The process provides support in the planning of a project and ensures that the engagement activity is robust, efficient and meets our legal and ethical commitments, including the equality duty.
Reporting
The Executive Leadership Team, cabinet members and County Council’s scrutiny committees will monitor our performance against these priorities. We will know we are meeting the equality duty and our equality objectives through the West Sussex Performance Dashboard.
Diversity and inclusion
Find information about Diversity and inclusion.