Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

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Key definition

authorities definition

What does authorities mean? Authorities are the legal sources a lawyer relies on to justify a proposition of law in submissions, skeleton arguments and judgments. The term is descriptive and widely used across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, rather than being defined by statute. Authorities typically include: primary legislation and subordinate legislation; binding appellate case law within the relevant jurisdiction; and, as persuasive material, decisions from other UK or foreign courts, tribunal rulings, EU and ECHR jurisprudence where applicable, and reputable academic commentary. In Scotland, the writings of the institutional writers (e.g. Stair, Erskine, Bell) may carry particular weight. Textbooks and...

Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010: scope, application to public functions and contractors, due regard and EIAs, positive action, exceptions, case law and judicial review (Great Britain)

Published by a LexisNexis Public Law expert

Practice notes

Every public authority, when carrying out any of its functions, is subject to and must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). The PSED is contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010). In performing their functions, public authorities are required to have due regard to the need, in particular, to:

eliminate Discrimination, Harassment, Victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by or under the EqA 2010
advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not

EqA 2010, s 149 replaced the earlier trio of standalone public sector duties on race, gender and disability equality (Race Relations Act 1976, s 71, Sex Discrimination Act 1975, s 76A and Disability Discrimination Act 1995, s 49A—all repealed), consolidating those duties within a single statute, and extending the duty to other protected characteristics as well. Case law relating to the former public equality duties remains relevant when considering the PSED under EqA 2010.

Overview of the PSED

EqA 2010 is the main anti-discrimination statute in UK law. The PSED is, by nature, a procedural duty under it...

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Matt Lewin

Cornerstone Barristers

Matt is a public law barrister, whose clients range from government departments to parish councils. His work includes advocacy in court and at public inquiries, investigations, reviews, training, public speaking and advisory work on a diverse range of public law issues, for clients across England and Wales. He is a member of both the Attorney General's and the Equality and Human Rights Commission's C panels of counsel. ...

David Thorneloe

Pinsent Masons

David has over two decades’ experience as a senior lawyer in the UK Government, advising on public law issues and the development of policy and legislation. His posts included adviser to the Attorney General on EU law, the constitution and devolution; Head of Employment Law in the Department for Business; and Head of EU law, Legislation and Litigation in the Department for Exiting the EU. He now advises clients in the private and public sectors on issues of public law, legislation and government....

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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