Equality, diversity and inclusion

It is illegal to discriminate against a person because of their disability.

The 2010 Equality Act defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term negative effect on a person’s ability to do normal daily activities.

Southwark's statistics

On 2021 census day, almost 1 in 6 (14%) of Southwark residents reported being disabled (based on 2010 Equality Act definitions), a similar proportion to London and England. 

• of these people, over two-fifths (41%, 17,400) reported that their day-to-day activities were limited a lot
• the number of disabled residents increased by 3,000 (8%) between 2011 and 2021
• 18,000 Southwark residents reported having long-term health conditions that did not affect their day-to-day activities
• A quarter (25%) of all households in Southwark had someone with a disability: 21% of households had 1 disabled member, and 4% had 2 or more disabled members

How we promote equality

To support disabled residents, we:

• provide a number of disabled parking bays at key locations across Southwark
• make every effort to provide disabled parking bays on our estates and streets on application
• offer benefits advice to ensure disabled people receive all the financial help available to them
• provide day centres for disabled people
• fund Family Action's Building Bridges Southwark which aims to bridge the gap between adult mental health and children's services