Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive.

The Forum received a report of the Chief Executive which set out the Council’s Strategic Vision for Race Equality.  An Action Plan for Change had been developed for implementation, as set out at Appendix A to the report.  The report also launched a series of new corporate objectives designed to ensure that the Council’s policies and practices were fair and equitable for all staff in the workplace, beginning with a focus on race and ethnicity.

An officer introduced the report and made a presentation, which is attached as an appendix to these minutes for reference purposes.  The officer set out the key components of the Race Equality Plan and described the journey that had culminated into an Action Plan for Change for Harrow’s employees at all levels.

As part of the presentation, Members were informed of the Council’s approach which had included both qualitative and quantitative research.  The Council had praised the involvement and openness of staff in the research undertaken.  Members were advised of the key themes that had emerged from the Independent Race Review, such as psychological safety, racism in the workplace.  Governance and accountability processes would also be reviewed.

Members were informed that the Council’s Race Equality Action Plan centred around the following three themes:

-                 creating safe spaces.

-                 changing the organisations culture and behaviour.

-                 recruitment and retention, which included an ambitious target of 5% of the Council’s staff to be representative of the overall resident population by 2025.  An aspect of this theme would include a move towards advertising vacant posts internally to give existing staff the opportunity to apply for the post first, thereby scoping out existing staff and providing a seamless approach.

Members were also informed that there would be a new offer for staff culminating into a zero-tolerance approach in all aspects of the Council’s work, employment and service delivery which would also help ensure that staff were supported and trained.

Members were advised of how the Council’s ambitions would be achieved which would involve staff at all levels through ongoing discussions.  Finally, Members were informed of the next steps that had been put in place until January 2022.  The officer was keen to receive feedback from the Forum and to identify any improvements that might be required prior to the initiatives being bedded in.

The Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development and an officer responded to questions from Members and Employee Representatives, as follows:

-                 the new Dignity at Work Policy would be non-contractual, but managers and staff would be required to comply and adhere to it.  A Unison representative was of the view that the previous Policy had not been ‘fit for purpose’ because it did not form part of the contract of employment.  He questioned why a Council that was aspiring to change the ethos of the organisation would not make the Policy contractual.  A Member expressed similar concerns and stated that, whilst the Action Plan appeared to be aspirational, the Dignity at Work Policy was lacking in that it would be non-contractual.  A GMB representative was also concerned that staff would not be required to adhere to the Dignity at Work Policy as part of their employment contract.

-                 In response, the Director stated that the intention was to change the culture of the organisation but that she would discuss the concerns expressed by Forum members with the Corporate Strategy Board.  The intention was to change behaviours and to make staff feel protected.  Psychological safety could not always be created by a contract and perhaps the Policy would require testing first and any adjustments made later.  Training and transparency would be key, and staff would be allowed to raise issues anonymously.  Dignity at Work cases would be reported through meetings with Employee Representatives where they could explore ways in which the Policy could be strengthened.  She was of the view that it would be difficult to mandate behaviours and attitudes.

-                 The Race Equality Action Plan would be mainstream and embedded in different forms so that it would not lose focus towards the strides that the Council was making to become an anti-racist Council.  It was a 5-year Plan and would be reported on a quarterly basis. It would also be reviewed and refreshed within a circular feedback model.

-                 There had been deficiencies in the organisation’s training and development and, in moving forward, the team would be better resourced.  Previously, access to training had been inconsistent - with some staff saying that they had never been on a training course - and it was intended to remove such blockages.

-                 Positive discrimination was not an option as it was unlawful except in certain limited circumstances.  The Council’s focus would be on positive action which would be applied in areas which had been identified to have underrepresentation and where a targeted approach would be applied.  The focus would be on training, encouragement, and targeted advertising, including ensuring that our recruitment agencies worked within the confines of the law.  Positive steps would be undertaken but these were not intended to disadvantage or alienate groups that were not underrepresented.  Diversity programme would include open schemes, apprenticeships, and management opportunities for the benefit of all staff.  A Member welcomed the move towards positive action and suggested that the Action Plan ought to clarify the approach being taken.

-                 The Race Survey had highlighted issues and specific cases of bullying and harassment and these had been shared with management. Some cases had been referred on for further investigation.  A culture of psychological safety could not be achieved immediately, and it was hoped that the drop-in sessions would help and make the Planmore visible.

Another GMB representative expressed concern that managers would be made responsible for the various Action Plans, the same managers that the staff survey had possibly highlighted issues with.  She asked if any monitoring had been put in place and who would decide which staff were mentored, trained, etc.

In response, the officer stated that all staff would contribute, inform, and take ownership of the Divisional Action Plans.  Monitoring would take place through the normal HROD reporting process, which would also help ensure that the correct approach was being used.  Training programmes would be open to all staff and would not require managerial approval; however, in some cases such as apprenticeships that required off the job training, managers would need to ensure business needs could be met.  The Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development added that there would be staff autonomy allowing them to access training courses, but a process would be required.  The business needs of the Council would need to be balanced against releasing staff for training courses.  However, the Corporate Strategy Board and the Leadership Team would hold managers to account for refusing to release staff.  Training courses would also be open to all frontline staff and those who wanted to change careers.

The Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development stressed that it was not intended to give the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff an unfair advantage in terms of recruitment and retention but to address inequalities faced by the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community, particularly staff in junior posts and those in the frontline.  It was to ensure that all staff had access to training courses and devices and the Council needed to improve its performance in this regard, which the People Strategy would provide.  The Strategy was intended to address identified race inequalities and discrimination.  She acknowledged that this message needed to be made clear as itwas intended to open opportunities for all staff.

There was cross-party support in that white privilege existed and that the Action Plan sought to address this issue.  A Member was of the view that the Action Plan was not ambitious enough.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)            the Council’s strategic approach on race equality in Harrow and the Race Equality Action Plan at Appendix A to the report be noted and that annual updates on the progress be received following the formal launch of the Action Plan;

(2)            the Zero Tolerance Statement attached at Appendix B to the report be noted.