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Equal Opportunities - Equality Act 2010

This page details St Helens Borough Council's arrangements to meet the general, specific and public sector duties of the Equality Act 2010; the Related Pages tab (below) takes you to other information, including the council's Comprehensive Equality Policy, Equality Impact Assessment Process, Equality Monitoring Reports, and Hate Crime Reporting.

Ramadan 2021

Ramadan Mubarak to everyone who is observing Ramadan. We wish you a blessed and safe month.  

The Muslim Council of Britain has written some advice for observing Ramadan at home, including holding virtual iftars with your extended family. To find out more, visit the Muslim Council of Britain website.

Stephen Lawrence Day, 22 April 2021

Stephen Lawrence Day was first celebrated in 2019 and takes place annually on 22 April, the date of Stephen’s death. The day is marked officially in the British calendar as a celebration of Stephen’s life and legacy. Watch this powerful and moving Stephen Lawrence Day video.

The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation was established amid unprecedented growing global awareness of racial inequality. It exists to inspire a more equal, inclusive society, and to foster opportunities for marginalised young people in the UK. 

To find out more about how you help to eliminate hate, join the #BetterThanThat campaign and stand up against hate crime.

Duties of the Equality Act 2010

The Public Sector Duty of the Equality Act 2010 requires St Helens Borough Council to have "due regard" to the following requirements within its decisions, service delivery and employment:
  • Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation;
  • Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;
  • Foster good relations between persons who share a protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

The Equality Act 2010, Specific Duty 2011 requires St Helens Borough Council to:

  • Publish sufficient information to demonstrate compliance with the General Duty across its functions by 31 January 2012 and annually after that, from the first date of publication;
  • Prepare and publish equality objectives by 6 April 2012, to demonstrate how the general equality duty will be met.

The most recent annual compliance information is the Annual Equality Monitoring Report 2019-20, published 23 March 2021.

Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 requires St Helens Borough Council to prepare a written accessibility strategy, which must:

  • Increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the schools' curriculums;
  • Improve the physical environment of schools for the purpose of increasing the extent to which disabled pupils are able to take advantage of education and benefits, facilities or services provided or offered by the schools; and
  • Improve the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is readily accessible to pupils who are not disabled.

Arrangements for increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the schools' curriculums are set out within:

Arrangements for improving the physical environment of schools are set out within the council’s Programme of School Work, which is based on the assessment of all relevant built assets. Arrangements include contingency to make reasonable adjustments that meet unexpected or unforeseen access needs.

Arrangements for improving the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is readily accessible to non-disabled pupils is covered by St Helens Information Advice and Support Service. 

Disability Access

The council has a number of officers with a "disability access" remit within the following service areas: Asset Management, Architects, Building Control, Building Surveyors, and Engineering. These staff ensure that (i) the Equalities Act (formerly the DDA), (ii) the current Building Regulations, and (iii) associated best practice are incorporated within all projects and services to ensure fair access for all.

For information about accessibility of council services or general disability access enquiries, please contact the St Helens Borough Council Contact Centre by email to contactcentre@sthelens.gov.uk (Subject: "Disability Access Enquiry FAO the Equalities Officer").

Website Accessibility Statement

The council's Website Accessibility Statement sets out the arrangements the council has in place to ensure that as many people as possible have full access to the information it has published on its webpages. This includes ensuring that our accessibility tool ATbar is available at the bottom left of every page of the website.

Comprehensive Equality Policy

The council's Comprehensive Equality Policy sets out how it meets its duties under the Equality Act 2010.

The Comprehensive Equality Policy includes the following policy commitments:

  • St Helens Borough Council's definition of Antisemitism (adopted from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition)
  • St Helens Borough Council's definition of Islamophobia (adopted from the Tell Mama definition)
  • St Helens Borough Council's Race Equality Policy Statement on Systemic Institutional Racism
  • St Helens Borough Council's Accessibility Charter
  • St Helens Borough Council's Disability Charter
  • St Helens Borough Council's Education Accessibility Strategy Statement