Equality information
Under the Equality Act (2010) we are required to publish information to show how we comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This must include information relating to people, who share a protected characteristic, who are our employees and people affected by our policies and practices. We have provided information about our population below. Information about people that use our services is set out in the rationale for each of our equality objectives. Information about our employees is included in the annual update to our Human Resources Strategy.
Disability
The 2011 Census recorded that 14,057 households (29.2%) in the Borough include people with a long-term health problem or disability. Of these 2,919 households (6.1%) include two or more persons with a long-term health problem or disability.17,946 (14.9%) people in the Borough have their day to day activities limited a little or a lot by a long-term illness or disability. This is lower than the Kent average of 17.6% and lower than the national average of 17.9%.
Age
Mid-year population estimates (2020) recorded the average age of the Borough’s population as 40.9. This is slightly lower than the Kent average of 41.4 years but similar to the England & Wales average of 40.4 years. Currently, 19% of the Borough’s population is aged over 65. Population forecasts indicate that 23.6% of the Borough’s population will be aged over 65 by 2039.
Sex (Gender)
Mid-year population estimates (2020) recorded that 51.2`% of the population is female and 48.8% is male.
Race
The 2011 Census recorded that 4,933 people (4.1%) in the Borough are from a Black or Minority Ethnic background. This is lower than the Kent average of 6.9% and the national average of 14.6%.
Religion or belief
The 2011 Census recorded that 63.7% of the population is Christian. This is higher than the Kent average of 61.8% and the national average of 59.4%. 27.3% of the population have no religion. Small proportions of the remainder of the population are Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish.
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation data is not captured by the Census. Data from the Integrated Household Survey estimates that 1.6% of adults in the UK identified their sexual identity as lesbian, gay or bisexual in 2014.
Pregnancy or maternity
In 2014, there were 62.8 births per 1,000 of the Borough’s population. This is slightly higher than the Kent average of 62.4 and the national average of 62.1.
Marital or civil partnership status
The 2011 Census recorded that 53.4% of the Borough’s population are married. This is higher than the Kent average of 48.9% and the national average of 46.6%.
Gender reassignment
At present, there is no official estimate of the trans population. Gender reassignment data is not captured by the Census.