Equality impact assessments

Assessing the equalities impact of our decisions

What are equality impact assessments?

An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA or EIA) is a vital tool that helps us carefully evaluate how our services, policies, and decisions might affect people differently based on their protected characteristics. This process is fundamental to making Gloucestershire a fair and inclusive place for all its residents.

Through EqIAs, we:

Identify and remove barriers that might stop people from accessing our services
Ensure our services are accessible and fair for everyone
Make our services better and more inclusive
Meet our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty

In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to having due regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity, fostering good relations between different groups in our community.

How we use EqIAs

Through careful analysis and community perspectives, we conduct assessments that help us:

Evaluate how changes might affect different community groups, including both positive and negative impacts in the short and long term
Collect and analyse evidence through relevant data, community engagement, research, and lessons learned from previous assessments
Develop and implement action plans that minimise negative impacts while enhancing opportunities for positive change across our communities
Track outcomes, make necessary adjustments, learn and share best practices to ensure continuous improvements in our service delivery

Each assessment helps us understand the full impact of our decisions on different community groups and ensures we make informed, inclusive choices that benefit all residents.

When do we complete EqIAs?

We conduct Equality Impact Assessments at key decision points in our work, including:

When developing new policies or services
Before making significant changes to existing services
When reviewing strategies and plans
Prior to procurement exercises
During staffing restructures that could affect employee groups
When adopting new policy priorities
Before implementing any service reductions or alterations
When services haven't previously considered equality and diversity impacts

Finding and using our assessments

We believe in transparency and accountability in our decision-making process and will add assessments to this page regularly. If you can't see a particular assessment here, you can also find them by searching on Glostext.

Below are recent examples of EqIAs (due regard statements) relating to key council services/decisions.

Decision - Draft Local Development Guide Consultation (2024) (gloucestershire.gov.uk)