Equality information
- Legal duty
- Darlington equality facts and figures
- What action have we taken?
- Workforce information
- The Equality Policy 2018-22
- Equality objectives 2018-22
Legal Duty
Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 replaced previous discrimination laws and introduced nine legally protected characteristics groups:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion and belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Marriage and civil partnership (limited to elimination of discrimination, harassment and victimisation)
Everyone has protection under this legislation.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
The PSED requires the council and other organisations carrying out public functions on our behalf, to advance equality and to understand how people with protected characteristics are affected by policies and services.
All public bodies must seek to:
- Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation
- Advance equality of opportunity between protected characteristic groups
- Encourage good relations between protected characteristic groups
By considering how to:
- Remove or minimise disadvantage experienced by people due to their protected characteristics
- Take steps to meet the needs of people with protected characteristics where they are different from the needs of others
- Encourage people from protected characteristics groups to take part in public life or other activities where participation is disproportionately low.
- Meet the needs of disabled people by taking account of their disabilities
- Tackle prejudice
- Help with understanding
Specific duties
The council must publish information to show how it complies with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This must include equality information about its employees and service users. The council must also publish equality objectives.
Darlington equality facts and figures
The more we know about our local population and service users the better we can understand their needs to help the Council carry out services. Information is collected from a variety of sources and relates to Darlington where this is available and nationally where not.
Age and sex
Darlington 2021 population (ONS Census Information)
Total population 107,800
| Age | Male (number) | Male (%) | Female (number) | Female (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 52,700 | 100.00 | 55,300 | 100.00 |
| Aged 4 years and under | 2,800 | 5.3 | 2,700 | 4.9 |
| Aged 5-9 years | 3,300 | 6.3 | 3,000 | 5.4 |
| Aged 10-14 years | 3,400 | 6.5 | 3,300 | 6.0 |
| Aged 15-19 years | 3,000 | 5.7 | 2,800 | 5.1 |
| Aged 20-24 years | 2,600 | 4.9 | 2,800 | 5.1 |
| Aged 25-29 years | 3,100 | 5.9 | 3,300 | 6.0 |
| Aged 30-34 years | 3,300 | 6.3 | 3,600 | 6.5 |
| Aged 35-39 years | 3,200 | 6.1 | 3,400 | 6.1 |
| Aged 40-44 years | 3,300 | 6.3 | 3,300 | 6.0 |
| Aged 45-49 years | 3,300 | 6.3 | 3,600 | 6.5 |
| Aged 50-54 years | 3,800 | 7.2 | 3,900 | 7.1 |
| Aged 55-59 years | 3,900 | 7.4 | 4,000 | 7.2 |
| Aged 60-64 years | 3,400 | 6.5 | 3,600 | 6.5 |
| Aged 65-69 years | 3,000 | 5.7 | 3,000 | 5.4 |
| Aged 70-74 years | 2,800 | 5.3 | 3,200 | 5.8 |
| Aged 75-79 years | 2,000 | 3.8 | 2,200 | 4.0 |
| Aged 80-84 years | 1,400 | 2.7 | 1,800 | 3.3 |
| Aged 85-89 years | 800 | 1.5 | 1,100 | 2.0 |
| Aged 90+ years | 300 | 0.6 | 700 | 1.3 |
Disability
2021 Census information shows 19.4% of the population of Darlington have a limiting long term illness. This is a fall from the 19.6% 2011 census but is higher than the national average of 17.8% for England and Wales.
Disability by category where available
Visual impairment (Data from RNIB)
RNIB sight loss data [external link]
Total number of people registered blind or partially sighted in Darlington 2023:
| 0-17 | 10 |
| 18+ | 526 |
| Overall Total | 536 |
Hearing impairment
National Statistics:
- Action On Hearing Loss [external link]
- Office for National Statistics main language article [external link]
Darlington:
- 2011 Census - Table "Main Language detailed, England local authorities" [external link]
- 150 people in Darlington choose sign language as their main language
Mental Health
Community Mental Health Profiles [external link]
| Description. | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Depression: Patients aged 18 and over with depression, as recorded on practice disease registers - 2020/21 | 12,860 | 14.7% |
| The percentage of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses as recorded on practice disease registers. - 2019/20 | 1,158 | 1.06% |
Gender reassignment and sexual orientation
There is very little official information available regarding gender reassignment and sexual orientation but the following sources provide an indication of the UK and local position.
3.1% of the UK population aged 16 years and over identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) in 2020, an increase from 2.7% in 2019 and almost double the percentage from 2014 (1.6%).People aged 16 to 24 years continue to be the most likely to identify as LGB in 2020 (8.0%) reflecting an increasing trend for this age group since 2014; this breaks down to 2.7% identifying as gay or lesbian, and 5.3% identifying as bisexual. Source: Office for National Statistics, 2020, Sexual Identity, UK: 2020 Statistical Bulletin [external link]: Experimental Statistics, ONS, Newport, Wales. However, these figures only demonstrate what percentage of the population are prepared to divulge their sexual preference to a cold-calling stranger on the doorstep and local GADD further point out that the Department of Health and the Home Office use a figure of 6% to 7% of the population as an estimate.
The figure of 3.1% implies approximately 3,320 adults in Darlington would identify themselves as LGB.
At present, there is no official estimate of the trans population. The England/Wales Census has not asked if people identify as trans in the past, however a question on gender identity may be included in future censuses. GIRES, in their Home Office funded study estimate the number of trans people in the UK to be between 300,000 - 500,000, defined as ‘..a large reservoir of transgender people who experience some degree of gender variance’ (Reed et al 2009).
Further information can be found at Stonewall [external link].
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Marriage and Civil Partnership from the 2011 census:
Marriages, Cohabitations, Civil Partnerships and Divorces [external link]
Details of marriages in England and Wales [external link]
Census 2011 - Table "Marriage Summary Statistics"
- 577 - All Marriages
- 466 - Civil Marriages
- 111 - Religious Marriages
Pregnancy and maternity
In 2020 there were 1,076 live births in Darlington.
Births by mothers’ usual area of residence in the UK [external link]
Race (ethnicity and nationality)
Darlington 2011 Census, Ethnic Group (Crown Copyright)
| Ethnic group | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| All usual residents | 105564 | |
| White: English/ Welsh/ Scottish / Northern Irish / British | 98898 | 93.69 |
| White: Irish | 328 | 0.31 |
| White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller | 350 | 0.33 |
| White: Other White | 2019 | 1.91 |
| Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Groups: White and Black Caribbean | 463 | 0.44 |
| Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Groups: White and Black African | 97 | 0.09 |
| Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Groups: White and Asian | 350 | 0.33 |
| Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Groups: Other mixed | 236 | 0.22 |
| Asian / Asian British: Indian | 726 | 0.69 |
| Asian / Asian British: Pakistani | 145 | 0.14 |
| Asian / Asian British: Bangladeshi | 523 | 0.50 |
| Asian / Asian British: Chinese | 349 | 0.33 |
| Asian / Asian British: Other Asian | 462 | 0.44 |
| Black / African / Caribbean / Black British: African | 206 | 0.20 |
| Black / African / Caribbean / Black British: Caribbean | 105 | 0.10 |
| Black / African / Caribbean / Black British: Other Black | 46 | 0.04 |
| Other Ethnic Group: Arab | 112 | 0.11 |
| Other Ethnic Group: Any Other Ethnic Group | 149 | 0.14 |
Language proficiency
According to the 2011 Census, in Darlington 2% of the population have a main language that is not English but speak English very well or well.
0.62% of the population cannot speak English or cannot speak English well. (ONS Crown Copyright)
Religion or belief
Darlington 2011 Census, Religion (Crown Copyright)
| Region/belief | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| All usual residents | 105564 | |
| Christian | 71122 | 67.37 |
| Buddhist | 307 | 0.29 |
| Hindu | 317 | 0.30 |
| Jewish | 45 | 0.04 |
| Muslim | 971 | 0.92 |
| Sikh | 361 | 0.34 |
| Other religion | 310 | 0.29 |
| No religion | 25415 | 24.08 |
| Religion not stated | 6716 | 6.36 |
A further breakdown of religion and belief information is available on the Office for National Statistics [external link]
Additional sources of information
- Darlington Public Health Profiles
- Darlington Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2017
- Darlington Community Survey 2013
What Action Have We Taken?
Equality Policy 2018-22
The Equality Policy 2018-22 helps the Council to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in the Equality Act 2010. The policy was drawn up after consultation with a wide range of representatives from protected characteristics' groups. It commenced in March 2018 and replaced the Council's previous equality policy.
If you need this information in a different language of format please contact Customer Services
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01325 405111