Councils ready to promote equality

Councils are well-prepared for a new duty that will require them to promote equality for disabled people, government-backed research has found.

Local authorities were more likely than other public agencies, such as health and education bodies, to consult disabled service users, according to a report from the Department for Work and Pensions.

They also used “many more” formats than other types of organisation when providing information for disabled people, and were more likely to have involved disabled people in producing a disability equality scheme.

However, one-fifth of organisations surveyed said they were not meeting the needs of disabled people.

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, public organisations will be under a duty from December to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.

This will require them to take account of the needs of disabled people and encourage participation by disabled people in public life.

The Public Sector and the Disability Discrimination Act from www.dwp.gov.uk