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<p>The Government has no plans to commence Section 1 of the Equality Act 2010 in England.
We have stated on many occasions that this duty, which requires a public body, in
taking strategic decisions, to have due regard to the desirability of exercising them
in a way that is designed to reduce the inequalities of outcome which result from
socio-economic disadvantage, would be ineffectual. As merely a “due regard” duty,
it requires no specific action from the public body concerned, and risks becoming
a tick-box exercise, complied with to minimise the risk of litigation rather than
to promote real change in society. The duty is also wrongly focussed on equalising
socio-economic outcomes rather than opportunities.</p><p>The Government’s preferred
approach is to progress specific policies and practical actions that will deliver
real change. We are promoting social mobility and tackling inequality through a range
of initiatives – for example in education, through reforms to the welfare system,
and by giving greater developmental devolution in England and rebalancing the economy
through schemes such as the Towns Fund.</p>
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