Social responsibility

Equalities

We have a statutory duty to ensure that we do not spend public money on practices that lead to unfair racial discrimination. We are committed to equal opportunities and encourage those who supply us with goods or services to practise equal opportunities.

In recognition of this policy, equality issues are included in our procurement process. We seek assurances from companies about their commitment to equality through our standard business questionnaire. This requires applicants to answer six equalities statements prescribed by the Secretary of State.

We will always seek to ensure that all specifications contained in our contract documents meet the needs of our community. We will expect all service providers to demonstrate how they will comply with this policy.

A full copy of our Race Equality Scheme is available to download at the bottom of this page.

Health and safety

We will aim to ensure that contractors appointed by us have adequate health and safety policies and procedures in place. Where appropriate, prospective tenderers will have to submit a copy of their health and safety policy (as required by Section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974), together with any codes of safe work practices issued to employees.

Environmental issues

We are very aware of the environmental impact of our activities. We aim to incorporate an awareness of all environmental issues into our procurement processes. Our sustainable procurement policy is available to download at the bottom of this page.