Equality and diversity policy

Our aim is to make equality an integral part of the way the Council works by putting it at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to celebrating diversity and promoting equality

• as an employer
• in the services we provide
• in partnerships
• in the decisions we make

We recognise that promoting equality and diversity will improve public services for everyone. We want Cheshire East to be an area of equal opportunity, where everyone has a fair chance and people from all backgrounds take part in community life. 

Our equality and diversity strategy (PDF, 2.2MB) was approved by Cabinet on 13 April 2021. We deliver this through an annual work programme. 

Our equality objectives

Our equality objectives are:

• listen - listen and involve all voices
• inspire - celebrate and promote the diversity in our borough and surrounding areas and make the most of the positive opportunities this brings
• integrate - deliver and promote accessible and equitable services for all
• inform - be a council which empowers and cares about people
• impact - support and deliver meaningful change

Corporate Plan

Promoting fairness and providing equality for all is an ambition in each of our strategic objectives as outlined in the Corporate Plan 2021 - 2025. We want to ensure we are:

• Open - we will provide strong community leadership and work transparently with our residents, businesses and partners to deliver our ambition in Cheshire East
• fair - we aim to reduce inequalities, promote fairness and opportunity for all and support our most vulnerable residents
• green - we will lead our communities to protect and enhance our environment, tackle the climate emergency and drive sustainable development

Gender pay gap

We publish data about our gender pay gap annually.  This meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 for all employers with more than 250 employees.

All Gender pay gap reports can be found on our Open Data site

Equalities and the law

The Equality Act 2010 states that then public authorities carry out their functions they must have due regard to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don't
• foster or encourage good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don't

The protected characteristics are:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

We know that people can have more than one of these characteristics and that there are other vulnerabilities that people can be discriminated against. We work against all forms of discrimination and believe our policies create positive outcomes for everyone.

You can find guidance on all aspects of the Equality Act and how it affects you  on the Equality and Human Rights Commission web site. This national organisation also sets out our legal responsibilities as a council.