Equality Policy

Claydon Cycling Club is fully committed to the principles and active promotion of equality of opportunity. Claydon Cycling Club is responsible for ensuring that no member or guest member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of a protected characteristic. Protective characteristics are disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex (gender) and age.

Claydon Cycling Club will ensure that there will be open access to all those who wish to participate in the sport or associated recreational activity and that they are treated fairly. The “active promotion of equality of opportunity” implies that Claydon Cycling Club is seeking to move from simply complying with legislation and good practice towards embracing diversity.

Claydon Cycling Club will ensure that no sections of the community are denied the opportunity to participate and make progress in the sport or recreational activity.

Claydon Cycling Club will take steps to prevent discrimination or other unfair treatment for its committee members, members or guest members, whether intentional or unintentional, direct or indirect.

We will review our policy in line with legislative changes and as a minimum every two years.

Claydon Cycling Club is committed to ensuring that its committee members, members and guest members are able to conduct their activities in an environment that is free from harassment, intimidation or bullying.

Claydon Cycling Club regards discrimination, harassment or bullying, as described below, as gross misconduct. Any committee member, member or guest member of Claydon Cycling Club who discriminates against any other person, may be liable to appropriate disciplinary action.

Direct Discrimination: This occurs by treating a person worse than someone else because of a protected characteristic. In the case of pregnancy and maternity this can occur if they have the protected characteristic without needing to compare treatment to someone else. Additionally direct discrimination can occur because someone is thought to have a protected characteristic or because they associate with someone who has a protected characteristic.

Indirect Discrimination: This occurs by putting a rule or way of doing things that has a worse impact on someone with a protected characteristic that someone without one, when this cannot be objectively justified.

Discrimination Arising From Disability: This occurs by treating a disabled person unfavourably because of something connected with their disability when this cannot be justified

Failing to make Reasonable Adjustment: This occurs by failing to make reasonable adjustment for disabled people which cannot be justified.

Harassment: Is unwanted conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating someone’s dignity or which is hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive to someone with a protected characteristic or in a way that is sexual in nature.

Bullying: Bullying is one form of personal harassment. It is the misuse of power or position to persistently criticise or to humiliate and undermine an individual’s confidence.

Victimisation: Treating someone less favourably because they have taken (or might be taking) action under the Equality Act or supporting someone who is doing so.

Claydon Cycling Club may take positive action for any group which is under-represented in membership, committee representation or participation events that share a protected characteristic and suffer a disadvantage connected to the characteristic. Additionally Claydon Cycling Club may take positive action in the provision of services for people who share a protected characteristic.

Claydon Cycling Club will regularly monitor and evaluate the policy, practices, procedures and operations on an ongoing basis and will inform members of their impact.

The Chair of the club has overall responsibility for the implementation of the Equality Policy.

The Claydon Cycling Club Committee is responsible for ensuring that this Equality Policy is followed and to provide appropriate procedures to deal with the investigation and disciplinary hearing in connection with any alleged breach of the Equality Policy and/or any related Codes of Practice which may be issued by the Committee from time to time.

To safeguard individual rights under the policy any member or guest member who believes that they have suffered inequitable treatment within the scope of the policy may raise the matter through the appropriate grievance procedure.

Appropriate disciplinary action may be taken against any member or guest member who contravenes the Equality Policy

Claydon Cycling Club is committed to ensuring that individuals feel able to raise any grievance and no member or guest member will be penalised for doing so unless it is untrue and not made in good faith.