Glasgow Council Equality Impact Assessments
Glasgow, Scotland public bodies must assess the equality impacts of new council policies to meet public sector equality duties and local governance standards. This guide explains when an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) is required for Glasgow City Council policy development, who is responsible, practical steps to complete an assessment, likely sanctions for non-compliance, and how to seek review or appeal decisions. It is written for officers, councillors, community groups and advisers preparing or challenging policies that affect protected characteristics under the Equality Act and related Scottish duties.
When to Carry Out an EQIA
An EQIA should be started early when a new policy, strategy, service change, or major revision is proposed that could affect groups with protected characteristics. Consider an EQIA when outcomes, eligibility, access, funding or delivery methods will change.
- Start screening at policy design and before formal committee decisions.
- Document evidence, data sources and stakeholder engagement used to assess impact.
- Record conclusions in a completed EQIA summary attached to committee reports.
Who Is Responsible
Responsibility sits with the policy sponsor and the relevant service manager; corporate governance or equality teams normally provide templates, training and final checks. Elected members must consider EQIA findings when approving policies.
- Contact the council equality or governance team for advice on scope and evidence.
- Service leads must keep records demonstrating the EQIA process was followed.
Conducting the Assessment
Follow a structured approach: screen for relevance, gather evidence, consult affected groups, assess adverse or positive impacts, identify mitigation, then publish findings with decision records.
- Screen the proposal to decide if a full EQIA is needed.
- Collect and analyse equality data and evidence.
- Consult stakeholders and record responses.
- Identify mitigations and monitoring measures.
- Publish the EQIA summary with committee papers and review monitoring results post-implementation.
Penalties & Enforcement
Equality Impact Assessments are governance and statutory compliance tools; specific monetary fines for failing to carry out an EQIA are generally not set out as council byelaws. Where failures engage duties under the Equality Act 2010 or Scottish public sector duties, remedies tend to be judicial review, statutory enforcement, or recommendations from oversight bodies rather than fixed municipal fines.
- Fines: not specified on the cited page for Glasgow City Council; enforcement is typically non-monetary or through higher-level statutory remedies.
- Escalation: first failure normally leads to internal review or remedial action; repeated or serious failures may prompt scrutiny by oversight or legal challenge.
- Non-monetary sanctions: orders to review a decision, judicial review, reputational and political consequences, and corrective actions by the council.
- Enforcer and complaints: responsibility lies with the council governance/equality teams, internal audit and ultimately the courts or statutory bodies where legal duties are breached.
- Appeals/review: decisions may be challenged by judicial review in the courts; internal review or complaint procedures apply for administrative remedies.
- Defences/discretion: lawful decision-making with documented reasonable justification, evidence-based mitigation and proportionality are principal defences.
Applications & Forms
The council typically provides an EQIA template or toolkit for officers to complete and publish with committee reports; where a formal form is required it is issued by the corporate equality or governance team. If no published form is in use, record the assessment in committee documentation.
- EQIA template: use the council template or toolkit provided by the equality team if available.
- Deadlines: align completion with committee report deadlines to ensure consideration before decision.
- Submission: attach the EQIA summary to committee papers and retain the full assessment on the policy file.
Common Violations
- Failure to screen a policy that significantly affects protected groups.
- Poor or no evidence to justify conclusions about likely impacts.
- Not publishing EQIA summaries with decision papers.
FAQ
- Who must carry out an EQIA for a Glasgow council policy?
- The policy sponsor and relevant service manager must ensure an EQIA is completed, supported by the council equality or governance team.
- When is a full EQIA required?
- A full EQIA is required when screening indicates a policy will have a significant or differential impact on people with protected characteristics.
- Can a policy decision be legally challenged for not having an EQIA?
- Yes, decisions can be subject to judicial review or other legal challenge where duties under equality legislation are engaged and proper process was not followed.
- Where do I get help completing an EQIA?
- Contact the council equality team, governance or legal services for templates, advice and sign-off arrangements.
How-To
- Screen the proposal to identify potential equality impacts and need for a full EQIA.
- Gather quantitative and qualitative evidence on affected groups and services.
- Consult with affected communities and stakeholders and record responses.
- Identify mitigation measures, monitoring indicators and include them in the policy report.
- Publish the EQIA summary with committee papers and set out review dates to monitor impact.
Key Takeaways
- Start EQIAs early and attach summaries to committee reports.
- Use evidence and stakeholder input to justify policy choices and mitigations.
Help and Support / Resources
- Glasgow City Council - official site
- Scottish Government - Fairer Scotland Duty
- Equality Act 2010 - legislation.gov.uk
- Equality and Human Rights Commission - Scotland