Meeting the Public Sector Equality Duty - 2025 report

Contents

- Introduction
- Leadership, partnership and organisational commitment
- Understanding and working with your communities
- Responsive services and customer care
- Diverse and engaged workforce

- Appendix 1: Gateshead Council equality data (March 25)
- Appendix 2: Equality profile of Gateshead (2025)

Introduction

We use the Local Government Association's Equality Framework (2021) to structure how we develop and report progress against our corporate Equality and Diversity work programme.

The Equality Framework helps councils to:

•  deliver accessible, inclusive and responsive services to customers and residents in their communities including those from under-represented groups
•  employ a workforce that reflects the diversity of the area they are serving
•  provide equality of opportunity for all staff; and
•  meet the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and support any aspirations to exceed these

The themes within the Equality Framework are:

• Leadership, Partnership and Organisational Commitment
• Understanding and working with your Communities
• Responsive Services and Customer Care
• Diverse and Engaged Workforce

Legal context

The Equality Act 2010 requires the council, along with other public sector organisations, to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty, which came into force in April 2011.  

Equality is a statutory responsibility for all local authorities in the UK. The Equality Act 2010 sets out various obligations which affect councils in a number of different ways, including in their roles as education providers, employers, landlords, service providers and transport providers. Local authorities as public bodies are also subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). This duty applies to all aspects of local government decision-making, policy development, and service delivery. The PSED ensures that councils actively consider the needs and experiences of diverse communities, helping to prevent discrimination and promote fairness in public services. By embedding equality into their functions, councils not only comply with their legal obligations but also support better outcomes for all residents and help build cohesive, inclusive communities. The PSED also requires public bodies to monitor the actual impact of the things they do. 

All councils under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) of the Equality Act 2010, must have "due regard" to three key aims when carrying out their functions, which are to: 

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act. 

2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. This includes removing or minimizing disadvantages, meeting different needs, and encouraging participation in public life. 

3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not, which involves tackling prejudice and promoting understanding.

The relevant protected characteristics for these purposes are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. 

Marriage and civil partnership are also protected, but only in relation to eliminating unlawful discrimination. 

In addition to complying with the general duty outlined above, local authorities must also publish specific information to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). For Gateshead Council which employs 250 or more employees, the requirements are: 

1. Annual Publication of Equality Information: Councils must publish information at least once a year that demonstrates their compliance with the PSED. This includes; information on general duty compliance with regard to employees, and information about people affected by the council's policies and practices, which can also include service users. 

2. Set and Publish Equality Objectives: Councils must set at least one specific, measurable equality objective that they believe will help further the aims of the PSED. These objectives must be published at least every four years. 

3. Report and Publish gender pay gap data by 31 March every year. 

These requirements ensure that equality considerations are embedded in decision-making, policy development, and service delivery, helping to prevent discrimination and promote fairness for all residents. 

The duty is a legal obligation, and compliance is monitored by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who can require action against any failure to comply, or it may be enforced by Judicial Review. 

Our annual report publishes information against what we have delivered in 2024-25 against the equality framework themes and our EDI policy commitments. It also publishes our workforce information as Appendix 1 to the report, to meet the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. 

Next: Leadership, partnership and organisational commitment