Local Housing Strategy guidance 2026: equality impact assessment

Recommendations and Conclusion

Equalities is central to the development of a LHS and the LHS guidance includes a strong focus on equalities requiring local authorities to prepare a EQIA and to give due consideration to the Fairer Scotland Duty assessment as part of the LHS process. The LHS guidance includes a strong focus on consultation and engagement encouraging local authorities to ensure that participation methods are designed with equality, equity and inclusivity at their core. The development of a LHS is informed by a Housing Need and Demand Assessment. Local authorities can augment Housing Need and Demand Assessments with robust additional data and research where this exists.

The EQIA concludes that the LHS guidance will generally have an overall positive affect on equality groups. Where potential negative impacts have been identified in relation to race, disability, and sexual orientation as noted above, these have been mitigated within the LHS guidance in particular requiring local authorities to demonstrate that consideration has been given to the specialist housing requirements for those of all ages, in all types of household, across all tenures, including for ethnic minorities, disabled people and LGBT amongst others.

Local authorities are required to set out what their priorities and outcomes for housing and housing related services will be over the lifetime of a LHS and depending on what these are, they will both positively and indirectly affect the protected characteristics of age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, race, and religion or belief.

As part of annual review of progress with delivery of LHS priorities and outcomes, local authorities are encouraged to consider ongoing monitoring and evaluation around how well equality objectives are being met.