Slough Borough Council: Diversity

Diversity

Equalities and diversity in Slough

Slough is a dynamic and diverse place to live and work. Its economic, social and cultural well being depends upon contributions from the various communities that make up the town.

Slough has one of the highest Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) population in the UK (36%). Since the 2001 Census, the town has also seen large arrivals of migrants from Eastern Europe (particularly Poland), and from Somalia and other parts of Africa.

However, equality is much broader than race and ethnicity. It groups all the areas which make us different, and can influence our opportunities in life. These include:

gender
disability
religious belief
sexual orientation
age

Under the Equality Act 2010, the council has a statutory duty to promote equality of opportunity for both our employees and service users. The new Public Sector Equality Duty means public, private, voluntary and community sector organisations that provide public services will have to have due regard to the need to:

eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act;
advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and
foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

The new Equality Duty covers the following protected characteristics:

age
disability
gender reassignment
marriage/civil partnership (but only in respect of the requirement to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination)
pregnancy and maternity
race – this includes ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality
religion or belief – this includes lack of belief
sex
sexual orientation (whether being lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual)

Equalities and diversity at Slough Borough Council

Working for equality of opportunity has long been at the heart of Slough Borough Council. This is for both our staff and the wide range of services we provide.

The council seeks to foster an environment where a person has an equal entitlement to high quality services and opportunities for personal development.

As a public sector organisation we have far reaching duties under the law to eliminate discrimination, promote equality and community cohesion. You can find details of these below. The general policies and procedures section gives a good overview.

Diversity Conference 2011

Slough's Annual Partnership Diversity conference is an opportunity for Slough’s local communities and organisations to discuss the public sector equalities and diversity agenda in the town.

The report for this year’s conference is available below.