Equality and Diversity

We see the Borough of Great Yarmouth as a place where everyone matters and is treated fairly.

In this section you can find information about:

Equality Act 2010

The Act brings together for the first time all the legal requirements on equality that the private, public and voluntary sectors need to follow when working with their employees, club members and the public.

It replaces all the existing equality law including:

The Equal Pay Act 1970
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975
The Race Relations Act 1976
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Who the law protects

The purpose of the Equality Act is that everyone has the right to be treated fairly at work or when using services. It protects people from discrimination on the basis of certain characteristics, known as protected characteristics:

Disability
Sex (gender)
Gender reassignment
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief
Sexual orientation
Age
Marriage and Civil Partnerships

What the law protects against:

Discrimination

This includes:

Treating a person worse than someone else because of a protected characteristic known as direct discrimination.
Putting in place a rule or way of doing things that has a worse impact on someone with a protected characteristic than someone without one, when this cannot be objectively justified, known as indirect discrimination.
Treating a disabled person unfavourably because of something connected with their disability when this cannot be justified, known as discrimination arising from disability.
Failing to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.

Harassment
Unwanted conduct which has the purpose or effect or violating someone’s dignity or which is hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive to someone with a protected characteristic or in a way that is sexual in nature.

Victimisation
Treating someone unfavourably because they have taken (or might be taking) action under the Equality Act or supporting somebody who is doing so.

As well as these characteristics, the law also protects people from being discriminated against:

By someone who wrongly perceives them to have one of the protected characteristics.
Because they are associated with someone who has a protected characteristic. This includes the parent of a disabled child or adult or someone else who is caring for a disabled person.

Public Sector Equality Duty

As part of the Equality Act 2010 (Section 149), the Borough Council must pay due regard to:

Eliminate unlawful discrimination (harassment, victimisation and any other prohibited conduct)
Advance equality of opportunity between those who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
Foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

More in-depth information about the duty can be found by following this link to The Home Office webpage for equality duty or this link to The Equality and Human Rights Commission webpage for equality duty.

To help us fulfill our duty, we recently invited members of the public to tell us their views on the services we offer the public. This was done through an online and paper survey and by officers attending community group meetings. The results of the community group meetings and surveys will be published alongside our new Equality Objectives by 6 April 2012. These Objectives and an action plan will summarise what work the Council intends to take forward during 2012/2013.

Download: Short term Equalities Plan for Consultation

We also have an obligation to publish information about our services annually. Reviews have been undertaken of the following services between May and September 2011: