27 Jun 05

A guide which aims to provide local authorities with information and advice on how to engage with lesbian, gay and bisexual people was launched by local government leaders on 7 January 2004 to help councils fulfil their responsibilities as employers and service providers. The guidance has been produced by the Local Government Association and the Employers’ Organisation in partnership with Stonewall’s Citizenship 21 project, UNISON and the Association of London Government.

‘Sexuality – the New Agenda’, follows the introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 which came into effect on 1 December 2003, placing a legal requirement on local councils and other employers to recognise lesbian, gay and bisexual people as equal citizens. It is a tool that should also help councils to fulfil their obligations in relation to community cohesion, social inclusion, best value and community participation in local governance.

Cllr Laura Willoughby, Chair of the LGA’s Equalities Executive, said: “For too long, sexual orientation has been treated as the poor relation to other equality issues such as race and gender, and with the current patchwork of equalities legislation and the legacy of repealed section 28, local authorities have been unclear how to address discrimination based on sexuality and how best to deliver services to the lesbian, gay and bisexual community.

“New legislation means councils will need to ensure that they are recognising and complying with the rights of homosexual and bisexual employees and residents and this guidance should be the ideal toolkit to show good examples of how this can be done. 

“Some authorities are already working well with lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, but there is still discrimination out there which we must tackle. Lesbian, gay and bisexual people do not conform to typical stereotypes and are not a visible community of difference. Councils do not even have census figures to know how large the resident population is. They need to reach those people that may really need the support and services they can offer, as well as make a valuable contribution to the work of the council as a whole.

“Just consulting with recognised bodies has never been and is not enough. Local authorities need to use their roles as community leaders to ensure that the issues that are important to lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are heard and that action is taken to include their needs.

“At all levels within a council, staff and councillors need to be aware of the sensitive issues surrounding sexual orientation, and be committed to wiping out discrimination. Regardless of political preferences, equality is a subject that we must all be committed to. Whether we talk about race, gender, sexual orientation or any other ‘community’, what we are really talking about is people’s lives, and local authorities, as community representatives, have an important role to play in improving the social well-being of their area.” 

The guide produced for local authorities details some of the challenges faced by lesbian, gay and bisexual communities and provides a checklist of actions that councils should follow. It also includes examples of the work that councils are already doing across the country.

For a copy of the guidance, priced at £20 (local authorities & charities), £40 (all others), contact Colin Divens at the Employers Organisation on 020 7296 6872, or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it