Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.
Our website automatically logs the IP addresses of visitors but this does not store or capture any of your personal data. We employ cookie technology to help log visitors to our website. The information collected is used to improve the service provided by the website. No personal information is collected this way.
The cookies we use are documented on our Cookies page. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit the All About Cookies website.
Analytics
We use analytics to help us understand how you use our website and improve our services, but we don’t store any cookies to gather this data.
We use cookie-less analytics, so none of your personal information is collected, but some of our other websites might still store a cookie. To understand which cookies are stored on some of our other sites, please read their cookie policy pages: Somerset Council Privacy Notices
Accessibility Policy
This website is managed by Somerset Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We have also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Equality and Diversity
The Equality Act 2010
The act covers nine protected characteristics, which cannot be used as a reason to treat people unfairly. Every person has one or more of the protected characteristics, so the act protects everyone against unfair treatment. The protected characteristics are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
Carers are protected through association with disability but is not one of the nine protected characteristics.
The Equality Act sets out the different ways in which it is unlawful to treat someone, such as direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation and failing to make a reasonable adjustment for a disabled person.
The act prohibits unfair treatment in the workplace, when providing goods, facilities and services, when exercising public functions, in the disposal and management of premises, in education and by associations (such as private clubs).
Equality duties
The General Equality Duty
The Equality Act 2010 also places proactive duties on public authorities, these are called the General Equality Duties. These duties apply to all of the protected characteristics:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity between people from different groups
- foster good relations between people from different groups
The Specific Equality Duties
The General Equality Duties are supported by two specific duties. These are two duties that ask public authorities to publish information to evidence their compliance with the General Duties and produce objectives to evidence how they will promote and meet the General Equality Duties.