1. Newsroom
  2. Leeds Spotlight
  3. Staff Networks and Race Equality Action Plan

Staff Networks and Race Equality Action Plan

Outcome/aim

The disproportionate impact of Covid-19 and the growing Black Lives Matter movement highlighted a broad range of issues for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) colleagues in the council, some new and many longstanding. After meeting with the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) a joint commitment was made to stand against all forms of racism and inequality in our council and city with clear and visible support and endorsement from the Leader of the Council.

Background

In July 2020, following the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 and the growing Black Lives Matter movement our BAME Staff Network called for urgent action, meeting with the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) to share their experiences and work together to bring about positive change.

What has been delivered?

  • CLT collectively met with BAME colleagues on three occasions, initially to listen to experiences, concerns and challenges, and subsequently to build action plans and monitor progress.
  • The BAME Staff Network have conducted a survey of BAME colleagues in the council to understand the experiences of staff within the organisation. 800 employees (720 BAME) responded.
  • We recognised that capturing a ‘single view’ to represent all BAME staff is a flawed notion, and there is no substitute for on the ground engagement with as many individuals as possible. Our BAME Staff Network, however, does act as a representative group on behalf of the BAME staff community, and is in touch with how many BAME colleagues are currently feeling.
  • CLT and the BAME staff network made a joint commitment, publically, to stand against all forms of racism and inequality with an endorsement from the Leader of the Council.

What was the impact/next steps ?

The council’s strong track record on inclusion and commitment to fairness and equality is clear.  The call to action from BAME colleagues has provided a further opportunity to reflect on how far we have come, and play a strong and visible role as a lead employer on this agenda.  In December, the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care partnership released the report findings of an independent review into health inequalities due to Covid-19, and the impact on BAME communities and colleagues. There are recommendations which relate to workforce and the wider community. The council is currently setting out its own contribution and next steps, and there are strong connections to our internal LCC BAME Network plan. The council’s BAME Network Chair joined Network Leads and the WY&H System Leadership and Development Programme to support development of a leadership programme focused on ethnic minorities - the Fellowship programme.

The Senior Placement cohort specifically was aimed at experienced leaders who are looking to bridge practical experience gaps coupled with strategic board level, system leadership development that has proved a barrier to career progression in the past. This was a significant collaborative effort, co-produced with the regional Race Equality Network leading to a BAME colleague from Leeds City Council joining the first cohort of the programme. 

The council’s BAME Staff Network lead continues to support and progress a range of key workstreams at the regional level including related to the measurement and impact priorities as well as further supporting the development of a workshop for senior leaders across the system to raise awareness of key issues which impact Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities.

Leeds City Council has joined a number of local authorities in pioneering a new Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES). This will help us explore whether or not they are fully achieving race equality in the workplace. A key element will be a focus on data analysis and measuring impact to drive improvement for our workforce. There is potential for this work to inform our evidence-based approach to change across all areas of the council. Leeds City Council also continues to engage with its partners to share and learn best policy and practice.