What is equality and diversity?
It is about fairness and opportunity for all. Giving everyone an equal chance to fulfil their potential.
It means providing:
- equality of opportunity
- equal access to services
- fair and proportional treatment
Protected characteristics
The Equality Act 2010 protects us all against discrimination. The Act outlines nine protected characteristics.
- Age. This refers to a person belonging to a particular age (e.g. 32 year olds) or range of ages (e.g. 18 - 30 year olds).
- Disability. A person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. At work, this includes being able to participate fully and effectively in working life on an equal basis with other workers.
- Gender reassignment. The process of transitioning from one gender to another. The law protects people who are proposing to undergo, are undergoing or have undergone gender reassignment. Sometimes people refer to themselves as 'transgender' or ‘trans’.
- Marriage and civil partnership. Anyone in England or Wales can get married or form a civil partnership if they are age 18 or over. They must not already be married or in a civil partnership and must not be closely related. Same sex couples can convert a civil partnership into a marriage.
- Pregnancy and Maternity. Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In a non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination lasts for 26 weeks after giving birth. Discrimination includes treating someone unfavourably because they are breastfeeding.
- Race refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or national origins. Gypsy Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities are Cornwall’s second largest minority ethnic group. GRT communities are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
- Religion or belief (including those who have no faith). 'Religion' refers to the wide range of recognised and widely practised religions that are in existence across the globe today. It also covers lack of religion, such as atheism. ‘Belief' means any religious or philosophical belief which affects how a person lives their life or perceives the world.. The definition also includes a lack of a particular belief.
- Sex. The protected characteristic of 'sex' uses the terms a 'man' or a 'woman' and refers to biological sex. This was clarified in the April 2025 Supreme Court judgement in 'For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers'.
- Sexual orientation refers to whether a person's sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes. People who identify as heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual are covered by the definition in the Equality Act.
The Equality Act protects against both direct and indirect discrimination. People are also protected if they are discriminated against because they are perceived to be, or are associated with, someone who has a protected characteristic. For example, discrimination when caring for a disabled child or relative.
The text of the Equality Act is at: Equality Act 2010.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body and regulator for equality and human rights in England, Scotland and Wales. They produce a range of guidance and codes of practice.
Locally protected characteristics
In addition to the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010, the Council has adopted two locally protected characteristics.
These aim to improve the experiences of other minority and/or disadvantaged groups in Cornwall.
They include the Cornish (as a protected national minority), and people with experience of care as a child.
Further information on Cornish can be found on the Cornish National Minority page.
Cornwall Council Cabinet agreed in September 2023 to treat ‘experience of care’ as a locally protected characteristic. Further information is in the Cabinet papers and minutes.
Equality of Opportunity Policy
Our Equality of Opportunity Policy explains how we as a Council intend to:
- promote equality
- tackle discrimination and harassment
The full policy can be found below:
We have an Equality of Opportunity Policy to address the following reasons:
- Oppression, disadvantage and discrimination exist in society
- Some people are unfairly denied equal access to services or employment (or both)
- Discrimination and disadvantage have undermined the quality of life for many people in Cornwall
- People often experience multiple-discrimination.
Our Equality of Opportunity Policy demonstrates our commitment to tackle these reasons. It will help us to make our services and recruitment processes accessible to everyone.
Specific Duties
We have a legal duty under the Equality Act to track and report on our compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). Introduced by the Equality Act 2010, it has three aims:
- eliminate discrimination
- advance equality of opportunity; and
- foster good relations between different groups of people.
This process is monitored by The Equality and Human Rights Commission. You can view our latest return below, which includes our workforce data.
- Public Sector Equality Duty Return 2025
- Public Sector Equality Duty Return 2024
- Public Sector Equality Duty Return 2023
How do we make sure we get it right?
It's about making sure the council provide services that are needed, in a way which does not exclude anyone.
The council does this by:
- assessing the impact of its services on their staff and customers,
- by involving them in its decision-making
- and making sure its policies are fair and inclusive
This is important in creating an organisation which is truly inclusive and reflects the communities it serves.