FAQs

It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of their protected characteristics.  There are nine protected characteristics: age; sex; race; religion; disability; sexual orientation; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; and marriage and civil partnership.

Equality Outcomes is the term used when a public authority (in our case Aberdeenshire Council) states how they attend to achieve specific improvements in people's life opportunities.

Legislation requires public authorities, including local authorities like Aberdeenshire Council, to develop Equality Outcomes every four years.  There is also a requirement to report every two years on the progress made in achieving these Outcomes.  

It is very important to get the views of our residents and communities to help us identify the main issues that can be addressed by the council in improving people's life opportunities, and also to tell us if we have been working well to achieve those aims or if we need to do more. 

Yes.  Everyone has has protected characteristics, therefore, we want to hear from as many people as possible to ensure that our plans to tackle inequalities over the next four years are as informed as possible.