The Head of Corporate Strategy has submitted a report to propose the Council’s voluntary adoption of the socio-economic duty set out under the Equalities Act 2010, but not applied in England, with implementation in a way that minimises legal and resourcing impacts.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.      Voluntarily adopt the Socio-Economic Duty (SED), involving the development of a holistic approach, as part of the Council’s policy making and decision-making processes.  The SED considers and seeks to address the inequalities of outcome that stem from socio-economic disadvantage.

The Head of Corporate Strategy had submitted a report to propose the Council’s voluntary adoption of the socio-economic duty set out under the Equalities Act 2010, but not applied in England, with implementation in a way which minimised legal and resourcing impacts.

Councillor Susan Brown, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships outlined the background to the socio-economic duty (SED) and its voluntary adoption by a number of councils, noting that implementation of the duty had been suggested in a number of areas, including by the Child Poverty Review Group.  It offered an opportunity to try to reduce inequality and bring the life chances of all to where they should be.

The report before Cabinet set out the first stage of the process and confirmed the Council’s position with regard to the SED.  Future work would include developing an expanded Equalities Impact Assessment and confirming the appropriate data measures to assess socio-economic need and associated policy impacts.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.     Voluntarily adopt the Socio-Economic Duty (SED), involving the development of a holistic approach, as part of the Council’s policy making and decision-making processes.  The SED considers and seeks to address the inequalities of outcome that stem from socio-economic disadvantage.