This blog explores how UK public service communications can align with the Public Sector Equality Duty. It asks key questions for Equality Impact Assessments and highlights how community media provides bottom-up, place-based engagement that strengthens belonging, representation, and inclusive dialogue.
Public service communications in the UK are under pressure to be more accountable, transparent, and responsive. One area that cannot be overlooked is the duty to consider equality in every aspect of policymaking. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty sets out how public bodies should demonstrate that equality has been built into the design, delivery, and evaluation of services. But what does this mean in practice for communications managers and media producers?
When communications are designed, managed, and disseminated, they are not just messages in a vacuum. They affect who feels included, who is represented, and who is excluded. They also shape trust in public bodies. If communications strategies fail to meet equality standards, they risk undermining both credibility and effectiveness. So the question is: how can communications managers update their policies and practice to meet these duties?
Some of the questions to consider, aligned with the principles of an Equality Impact Assessment, include:
- Are communication campaigns being designed with a clear understanding of who will be affected, and how? Which groups defined by protected characteristics are most likely to benefit, and which may face unintended barriers?
- Do our media choices and channels ensure access for all groups, including those with limited digital access, language differences, or accessibility requirements? What alternative methods of engagement are being offered?
- Are the images, stories, and examples used in public communications representative of the diversity of the community being served? Are we checking for unintended stereotypes or narrow portrayals?
- Have we gathered evidence, through research or consultation, about the likely impact of communications on different groups? Are we prepared to adapt the campaign if that evidence suggests negative consequences?
- Are we documenting how decisions about communication and engagement have been reached, and how equality considerations shaped those decisions? Is there a transparent record for accountability?
- Do evaluation methods capture differences in reach and impact across groups, or do they treat the public as a homogenous audience? How will lessons from this evaluation be built into future campaigns?
These questions are not simply a compliance exercise. They are central to effective communication in a diverse society. By placing equality at the centre of communication planning, public service organisations can strengthen trust, reach wider audiences, and ensure that essential messages genuinely serve the whole community. The opportunity now is for communications teams to look again at their policies and practices, and to ask whether they are ready to meet the standards that the Public Sector Equality Duty demands.
Community media offers one practical way of addressing these challenges. Unlike top-down communication channels, community media is place-based, rooted in belonging, and shaped by the contributions of those who take part. It provides an alternative route for engagement that is responsive to local contexts, and it enables people to discuss issues that matter directly to them and their communities. By supporting community-led media, public bodies can strengthen inclusive dialogue, widen representation, and create spaces where equality considerations are lived out in practice rather than treated as an abstract policy requirement.