1. What are the main aims purpose and outcomes of the Policy and how do these fit with the wider aims of the organization?

The aim of this Policy is to enable an affordable active transport scheme for residents and visitors in Maidstone.

2. How do these aims affect our duty to:

·         Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimization and other conduct prohibited by the act.

·         Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

·         Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The service offers no net difference in meeting these aims.

3. What aspects of the policy including how it is delivered or accessed could contribute to inequality?

As the scheme relates primarily to modes of active transport, it is possible that members of the public falling under the three following protected categories may not be able to access the service:

-      Pregnancy

-      Disability

-      Age

As the service is designed to be a lower cost alternative to existing modes of transport in the town centre, it could be argued that we are economically restricting these demographics from visiting the Town Centre.

However, Blue Badge holders are eligible to access the Town Centre using council-owned car parks for free of charge, so alternative low-cost options remain open to them.

Impact on pregnant service users will be highly dependent on individual cases and opting in to use the service must be done at their own risk and in-line with governing health & safety guidance.

Certain schemes require users to have a Driver’s License (provisional or full) in order to operate. Whilst this may restrict the age group of users, as the modes of transport are for use on roads, this restriction was legislated by Central Government and remains a legal requirement as of June 2021.

4. Will the policy have an impact (positive or negative) upon the lives of people, including particular communities and groups who have protected characteristics ? What evidence do you have for this?

There should be no negative impact on citizens with protected characteristics. Potential risks highlighted in Question 3 are mitigated by current alternative offerings.