Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the report, Acting on equalities: are local authorities in England meeting the duties of the Equality Act 2010 and addressing sexual orientation and gender equality, published by the University of Brighton in October 2016, what steps she is taking to address the finding of that report that in 2016 over half of local authorities in England were failing to demonstrate compliance with the specific public sector duties of the Equality Act 2010 and associated Government Equalities Office Guidance.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the regulator for the public sector equality duty set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. The Commission uses a range of levers to ensure local authorities and other public bodies comply with the requirements of the duty, from provision of guidance through to enforcement activity where it considers there to be a strategic benefit.

In light of the Brighton University report highlighted by the Honourable Member, the Commission will be writing to the Local Government Association (LGA) drawing its attention to the findings of the research and of the Commission’s evidence of the key equality challenges facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and asking the LGA to remind local authorities of their legal obligations under the public sector equality duty.