Gloucester City Council make series of commitments as part of city's equality vision
They want to ensure BAME employees have equal opportunity
Gloucester City Council have made a series of commitments to people from BAME backgrounds have equality opportunity.
As part of the national Big Promise campaign for Race Equality Week they're making pledges to ensure various workings of the organisation reflect the diversity of the organisation and the community it serves.
They've created an action plan and have set targets for ethnic minority job recruitment, retention and promotion.to ensure.
White colleagues have also been invited to take part in discussions to openly talk about the cognitive biases which may surround race as well.
Anna Brinkhoff, Corporate Director of Gloucester City Council, said:
"We need to make sure we're recognising the talent we've got in this city and our communities.
"We want to showcase that and as well as showcase and promote our staff to make sure they reach their full potential".
"As an employer we want our workforce to be representative and that we represent the people in the city".
They've already been delivering diversity training to managers across the council and have been inviting and encouraging white employees to engage in talks about racial inequality.
Council staff has also been asked to make a 'big promise' on how they can actively work towards contributing to racial equality within the organisation.
Anna continued:
"Racial equality matters. It matters hugely to the economy and we need to maximise everybody's skills.
"It matters to the council as well from a workforce and political basis and it's really at the heart of our equalities vision for the city."
As part of the long-term plan to address the issue, a so-called equality calendar of events has been set up which will invite employees to attend various virtual events which will deliver diversity training.
The local authority have also started an equality pay audit which will look at the potential pay gap on the average income of BAME employees.
at the end of last year, Gloucester City Council also established a commission to review racial relations in the city.
Anna Brinkhoff added:
"Since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, this has been on everybody's radar so much more and we're now having a national conversation.
"It's more of an inquisitive and curious one though as opposed to judgemental and serious and I really think that's the right way to go about it".