Overview
Having an equality strategy is part of how we comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as a public sector organisation. An equality strategy helps a public body clearly state its commitment. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires Somerset Council as a public sector organisation to make sure that it has due regard in everything it does. This includes when making decisions and reviewing our policies. This is to understand whether they will have a different impact on any group of people because of their protected characteristics.
We are also expected to produce a set of equality objectives that must aim to improve the outcomes for those protected under the Equality Act 2010.
The ways in which we seek to meet this duty are:
- Having an equality strategy that we review at least every 4 years that sets the direction and commitment for equality in the council
- Have a set of equality objectives and actions we will work towards during that time to improve the outcomes for those protected under the Equality Act 2010
- Producing an annual report every year that shows the actions we have taken and the progress we are making towards our equality objectives
- Making sure that equality impact assessments are used as part of our decision-making processes. This helps us understand if any changes to our services or policies will affect our ability to meet our 3 main equality objectives.
Health inequality
Somerset council aspires to be a county where tackling health inequalities is at its core. This will be where everyone has the opportunity to live a long, healthy life, regardless of socio‑economic background, ethnicity, disability, geography, or other characteristics. This aligns with national and local ambitions to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy across regions and to prioritise health equity, opportunities around priority health outcomes, and community‑centred approaches.
More information on the council’s commitment to tackling health inequalities, which is a statutory duty of our Director of Public Health, can be found on our Healthy Somerset website.