The Equality Trust co-ordinated the following letter with 22 other organisations and individuals calling for the socio-economic duty on public bodies, contained within section 1 of the Equality Act 2010, to be brought into force. It appeared in the Sunday Telegraph (paywall) on 18 December:
“Theresa May has set out a positive agenda to tackle social injustice and make ours “a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us”. However the Prime Minister has overlooked a powerful tool at her disposal: the socio-economic duty that forms the very first section of the Equality Act 2010.
“The duty, which was passed by Parliament but has not been brought into force, requires all public bodies to take account of socio-economic disadvantage when making policy decisions. This would help to shield the most vulnerable, level the playing field between people from different backgrounds, and build a fairer and more cohesive society.
“The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has announced her government will legislate to bring the duty into force in Scotland. As organisations and individuals committed to building a better society for all, we call on the Prime Minister to do the same. It is time for the Act to work as intended in the UK as a whole – what better way for the Prime Minister to demonstrate her commitment to social justice?”
Dr Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director, The Equality Trust
Jamie Burton, Chair, Just Fair
Baroness Glenys Thornton, CEO, The Young Foundation
Ali Harris, Chief Executive, Equality and Diversity Forum
Omar Khan, Director, Runnymede Trust
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, CPAG
Sam Smethers, CEO, Fawcett Society
Andrew Copson, CEO, British Humanist Association
Richard Frazer, convener of the Church of Scotland’s Church & Society Council
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain
Judith Moran, Director, Quaker Social Action
Reverend Paul Nicolson, Taxpayers Against Poverty
Professor Danny Dorling, University of Oxford
Stewart Lansley, University of Bristol
Professor Richard Wilkinson, University of Nottingham
Professor Kate Pickett, University of York
Dr Eva Neitzert, Director, Women’s Budget Group
Dr Angela Donkin, Institute of Health Equity
Professor Mike Savage, London School of Economics
Dr Kitty Stewart, London School of Economics
Jackie Longworth, Chair, Fair Play South West
Tracey Lazard, CEO, Inclusion London
Alex Bax, Chair, My Fair London