Public sector equality duty
Bedford Borough Council has a public sector equality duty. It requires us to consider how the decisions we make and the services we deliver affect people who share a ‘protected characteristic’ differently.
To do this, we must show how we have worked to:
- eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other behaviour prohibited by or under the Equality Act
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
- foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
The public sector equality duty requires us to:
- publish equality information
- publish equality objectives
- publish gender pay gap information
To do this we have a statutory requirement to publish equality information and develop equality objectives.
Workforce equality reports
We publish an annual workforce and gender pay gap report. This has information on equality monitoring data the Council collects about our staff.
- Workforce Equality Report 2023-2024 (PDF)
- Workforce Equality Report 2022-2023 (PDF)
- Workforce Equality Report 2021-2022 (PDF)
- Workforce Equality Report 2020-2021 (PDF)
Equality analysis
To help meet our statutory requirements, we assess the impact of our activities (projects, policies, strategies, functions and services) on equality. We do this by carrying out an equality analysis.
An equality analysis involves collecting relevant information and making evidence-led judgements on the impact of any activity and deciding the necessary action that is required to lessen any adverse impact. It also helps identify opportunities to positively advance equality.
Council senior managers and elected members use equality analysis reports to help inform the decision they make.