Equality Objectives 2024 - 2027

Public Sector Equality Duty

The Public Sector Equality Duty, which is known as the General Equality Duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 is a key lever for ensuring that public sector organisations, like Birmingham City Council, embed equality across its policies and services. Under this Duty, the council must, in exercising our functions, have due regard to the need to:

1. Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited under the Act.
2. Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
3. Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

It's important that the council considers how its decisions advance equality, inclusion and diversity by removing or minimising disadvantages experienced by people because of their protected characteristics.

The protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 are: age, race, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation.

Equality Objectives

Public authorities are legally required to set at least one equality objective every four years to help focus attention on priority equality issues. For 2024 to 2027, the council is proposing four equality objectives to help drive equality and inclusion across all areas of the council’s work, as well as demonstrate compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The proposed equality objectives, set out below, have been developed by drawing on the council’s current policies together with an equality gap analysis and workforce equality data.

Equality Objective 1: Putting our Citizens First

• BCC continues to develop its evidence and insight to build a better understanding of its communities to improve its service provision, and any strategic/operational decisions.
• All diverse groups are involved in opportunities to influence the Council’s decision-making processes.
• BCC has developed an outcome-based approach to creating cohesion and produce equal and equitable results between neighbourhoods and communities.
• BCC can demonstrate significant improvements in the participation and engagement of diverse groups which enable positive and recognisable outcomes for citizens.

Equality Objective 2; Inclusive & Culturally Competent Leadership, Partnership and Organisational commitment

• All leaders, political and officer, have gained a reputation with employees, communities, and our strategic partners for being inclusive and culturally competent.
• BCC can illustrate examples of inclusive and culturally competent leadership and can demonstrate positive examples where inequality and discrimination has been reduced for both the citizen and wider communities.
• BCC can produce examples of success with the commercial, private, community and voluntary sectors in tackling inequality through its inclusive and strategic partnership working citywide.
• BCC has robust Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) governance mechanisms that demonstrate equitable and tangible outcomes and are delivered through consistency of approach.

Equality Objective 3: Responsive services and citizen care

• BCC as the commissioner of services inclusively considers the needs of all Birmingham citizens and the neighbourhoods and communities in which these citizens live and work.
• BCC can provide examples of how it utilises the Social Value Act 2012 to tackle inequality.
• Equality objectives in service delivery are making a positive impact in the provision of all services and with regard for needs led services.
• BCC can illustrate how service design and delivery is producing meaningful equality outcomes.

Equality Objective 4: Developing an Inclusive & Diverse Workplace

• BCC can demonstrate how it is breaking down structural discrimination and working toward gender, race, and disability equal pay parity.
• BCC’s HR policies and procedures have been equality impact assessed, tackle workforce inequality and create inclusive workplaces.

Page last updated: 14 December 2023