You can download a Word copy of this policy here.

1. Policy statement and purpose

This policy sets out Gloucestershire Archives’ commitment to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work.  We treat all staff, customers and anyone else we come into contact with, with dignity and respect. We recognise, respect and value difference and diversity.   

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that anybody engaging with Gloucestershire Archives is not treated less favourably as a result of having protected characteristics, and that our activities and collections reflect the widest possible cross-section of society.

2. Scope

The policy applies to all aspects of our work, and includes anyone who interacts with our service, be it on-site, off-site or online.  It applies to staff, volunteers, partners and contractors.

The Equality Act 2010 covers the following protected characteristics:

·         Age

·         Disability

·         Gender reassignment

·        Marriage or civil partnership

·         Pregnancy or maternity

·         Race

·         Religion or belief

·         Sex

·         Sexual orientation

In addition, as part of Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) we also take the following categories into consideration:  care experienced adults (also treated by GCC as a protected characteristic); armed forces, carers, digitally excluded people, geography, socio-economic disadvantage and vulnerable groups within the historic county of Gloucestershire.

3. Terminology

Archives are the record of everyday activities of governments, organisations, businesses and individuals. Archives may take many different forms – handwritten, typed, printed, photographic or electronic – and include audio-visual material such as video and sound recordings. As authentic and reliable records, they are preserved permanently because of their evidential and historical value.

4. Background

Gloucestershire Archives gathers archive collections and local and family history resources to ensure they are kept secure and made accessible.

We are an accredited archive service recognised by The National Archives as the place of deposit for public records relating to Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

We are a Gloucestershire County Council service.  By agreement, we also provide an archive service for South Gloucestershire Council and are the appointed Record Office for the Diocese of Gloucester.

We are a lead partner in the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub, a network of local people and organisations with a common interest in our historic county's documented heritage.

As an archives service we support the International Council on Archives’ Universal Declaration of Archives.  This outlines the role that archives play in securing human rights, establishing a collective memory and underpinning accountable and transparent governance.

5. Guiding principles

• Removing or minimising barriers to inclusion to create an environment where people feel welcomed, valued and supported.
• Training staff and identifying the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people
• Using the Public Sector Equality Duty (and additional groups identified by Gloucestershire County Council) to inform our learning & outreach and proactive collecting policies.
• Working with community partners, such as Voices Gloucester and Fresh Air Foundations, to encourage people from protected groups to take part in activities where participation or representation is disproportionately low.
• Taking equality, diversity and inclusion into account in everything we do, including the development and implementation of organisational policies and strategic planning.

Measures to implement these principles include: 

• summary guides to diverse collections, such as LGBTQ+ and Black and Minority Ethnic resources handlist-to-resources-relating-to-black-asian-and-minority-ethnic-people-communities-in-glos.pdf (gloucestershire.gov.uk)
• supported access to archive resources https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives/researching/getting-started/ - see section on extra help for newcomers to archives
• partnership activities co-created with under-represented groups, particularly through Voices Gloucester
• ‘community gathering’ opportunities, some of which are voluntary and some of which are paid
• ongoing support of certain community websites, such as www.bartonandtredworth.org.uk/
• annual equalities and inclusion analysis and reporting
• equalities impact assessments where appropriate, such as periodic reviews of suite of policies.

6. Roles and responsibilities

The Head of Service is responsible for developing and leading the implementation of this policy, but all archive service managers are also responsible for monitoring implementation.  

All those within the scope of the policy have a duty to follow the policy and help create an inclusive environment that values diversity and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

7.  Raising a complaint or concern

Any complaint will be taken seriously and dealt with in a timely and sensitive manner.

Volunteers, customers, stakeholders, partners and contractors should contact the Head of Archives Service or her deputy (archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk). Should this not resolve the issue you can refer the matter to Gloucestershire County Council’s corporate complaints team:  www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/complaints-and-feedback/complaints-about-corporate-issues/.

Staff should speak to their line manager in the first instance.  Should they feel unable to raise a concern in this way, they should contact the next level of manager, a member of Gloucestershire County Council’s Dignity at Work network, HR or trade union representative. 

8. References

Gloucestershire County Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy and procedures (available to GCC staff only) and South Gloucestershire Council’s equality policy: https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/equality-policy/  

This policy should be read alongside other related Archives policies, to be found at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives/policies, particularly learning & outreach, and collections development policies.

Our access statement is available here:

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives/visit-us/accessibility-on-site/

9. Review and revision

This policy will be reviewed at least every 3 years.    Please write to archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk if you wish to give feedback on this policy.

Document control

Date of next revision: 2026