Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Inclusion matters - Evidence that shapes our equality and diversity priorities

Our strategic road network provides links to communities and businesses, and contributes to our national wellbeing and economic growth. Ensuring our services are fair and accessible to people is key to what we do and compliance with the public sector equality duty is an extension of the equality work we have undertaken since our formation.

From January 2012, and on an annual basis thereafter, we will update these pages to show the information that we consider will help us to fulfil our equality objectives and ensure that our associated activities are progressing.

These pages summarise how we are working to:

• improve our performance in the area of equality and diversity, both as an employer and as a service provider
• meet our statutory duty under the equality act 2010

This process is supported by internal structures, systems and plans:

• An agency diversity group (consisting of representatives from each business area), a diversity team and a reasonable adjustments manager.
• An equality impact assessment (EqIA) process (PDF 4.91MB), with guidance and capability monitored through our internal governance tool known as stewardship reporting.
• The pre-qualification process called the Strategic Alignment Review Toolkit (StART) which is used for large Agency contracts relating to major project schemes and the Asset Support Contract
• Single equality plan (PDF 1.04MB) (SEP), which has been updated every year since 2009 and replaces our previous plans for race, gender and disability.

Gathering and reviewing information

Giving due regard to the aims of the public sector equality duty (PSED) requires us to consider the duty in a way that is proportionate to an issue. This is done before and during policy formation, and when a decision is taken.

Not all of our work is relevant to improving equality outcomes. To enable us to focus time and resource on those areas that are relevant, we use information gathered from a range of different sources. This information includes:

• A self assessment process for business areas to consider their core work in terms of the PSED
• Equality Impact Assessments which trigger genuine changes or development of our policies and services as a result of consultation.
• Internally produced employment information which includes information on employees, pay and our staff people survey results.
• The National Road User Satisfaction Survey - NRUSS Equality Analysis 2010-11 (PDF 1.06MB)
• Monitoring telephone and email correspondence through the Highways Agency Information Line and correspondence recording system.
• Feed back from independent assessments connected with Investors in People (IiP) and Positive about Disability and occupational health 
• Regular engagement with the trade unions and with our staff network for staff with a disability (Access for All).

Plus relevant external material such as: 

• Good Practice for the Construction Sector: A report commissioned by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission
• Maintaining Safe Mobility for the Ageing Population
• Reported Road Casualties on the Strategic Road Network 2010 (PDF 1.21MB) 
• Inquiry into race discrimination in the construction industry - Equalities and Human Rights Commission report
• EHRC Inquiry into race discrimination in the construction industry - full report July 2009
• 'Hidden from Plain Sight' An inquiry into disability-related harassment by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission
• The Report to the Civil Service Task Force on Disability: A report into why engagement levels are so low among staff with disabilities working in the Civil Service that was commissioned by the Cabinet Secretary

Identifying priority areas for action

Information gathered from within and outside of the Highways Agency is considered at both directorate and corporate level:

• Each directorate has a diversity representative who works with their business area to ensure that equality priorities are identified.
• Every year since 2009, priorities have been discussed and an equality plan produced.
• Each year the Highways Agency's executive board, via the board diversity champion, agrees priorities and reports on progress made against the previous year's objectives.

For 2012 our executive board has decided that the single equality plan will be closed down and replaced by measurable equality objectives that are bedded into the Highways Agency's business plan. These objectives cover a four-year period.

Taking action, and reviewing and monitoring outcomes

Performance against our current equality plan is reviewed and monitored along with our consideration of equality issues through decision-making processes via: 

• an Agency diversity group - who meet three times a year
• stewardship reports - which are undertaken twice a year.

In future, progress will be incorporated into standard business performance processes and reported through the annual report.