The UK government has said it proposes to bring the socio-economic duty into force in England.
Not directly on disability, but the Labour government has said it will bring into effect in England the socio-economic duty on public bodies in s.1 EqA. In April 2025 the government issued a call for evidence on how to do this: call for evidence (gov.uk).
S.1 EqA says broadly that public authorities must, when making decisions of a strategic nature, have due regard to the desirability of reducing the inequalities of outcome which result from socio-economic disadvantage.
This duty is already in the EqA, but the Coalition government (Conservative and Lib Dem) which came to power in 2010 chose not to bring it into force. The duty is currently in force in Scotland (from April 2018, known as the Fairer Scotland Duty) and in Wales (from 31 March 2021).
In August 2025, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published new research exploring the “experiences of duty-bearers in Scotland and Wales, as public bodies in England prepare for UK government plans to roll out the socio-economic duty”: EHRC publishes new research on socio-economic duty implementation ahead of introduction in England (equalityhumanrights.com).
Labour said it would implement this duty in “Labour’s Plan to make work pay” (pdf, labour.org.uk), May 2024, and – as a government – confirmed it in Next Steps to Make Work Pay (gov.uk), October 2024.
PSED
There is already a duty on public bodies in relation to disability and most other protected characteristics: the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). However, as briefly discussed at that link, the PSED has major weaknesses compared with normal discrimination claims brought to an employment tribunal or County Court. The socio-ecomonic duty is likely to share those legal weaknesses – and “socio-economic status” is not a protected characteristic so (unless further changes are made) there will be no right for an individual to claim it under the normal discrimination provisions.
Also the socio-economic duty has some additional limitations compared with the PSED, for example it only applies when making decisions of a strategic nature.
The April 2025 call for evidence also sought views and evidence on improving compliance with the general PSED by non-public bodies exercising public functions.
