Public Sector Equality Duty

Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 requires a public authority, in the exercise of its functions, to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by or under the Act; to advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not; and to foster good relations between those two groups. A person who is not a public authority but who exercises public functions must have due regard to the same matters when exercising those functions.

Having due regard to advancing equality of opportunity involves, in particular, having due regard to the need to remove or minimise disadvantages connected to a protected characteristic, take steps to meet the needs of people with a protected characteristic that are different from the needs of others, and encourage participation in public life where it is disproportionately low.