Sharing the work underway both at a borough and regional level to address racial disparities, particularly in relation to how we operate as organisations. This will pick up themes around being leaders on race equality, local governments role as large employers and sharing learning and knowledge.

1. Tackling Racial Inequality –
activity across London
local government
Tom Pickup, Race Equality Lead
London Councils

2. Background
What is our role?
How can we harness the energy
across boroughs to create change?
How can we make a meaningful
impact at a regional level?

3. Background – building a programme
Support the work that individual boroughs are
undertaking that responds to the needs within
their communities and organisations
Going beyond our statutory duties to develop
regional activity and action, where appropriate
Portfolio Lead:
Cllr Mo Butt, Leader
of Brent Council;
London Councils
Executive Member for
Welfare,
Empowerment &
Inclusion
Chair and Chief
Executive Lead:
Kim Smith, CEO
Hammersmith &
Fulham

4. London Local Government -Tackling
Racial Inequality Programme
Our role as large
employers
Accelerating action to ensure
and support boroughs in
developing inclusive workforces -
promoting diversity, becoming
more culturally aware and
supporting staff development.
Challenging and
improving practice
across services
Sharing and building upon
examples of good practices at
borough, sub-regional and
regional levels to actively tackle
racial inequality. Promoting
learning and replicating activity at
a pan-London level.
This is a pan-London programme established to drive collaborative activity across local government in tackling racial inequality. The
work is led by the Tackling Racial Inequality sub group of CELC (Chief Executive Leadership Committee). Three strands:
Demonstrating
Leadership
Encouraging boroughs to
demonstrate visible leadership
on this agenda, both within
authorities, but also across
partnerships and our ‘places’.

5. London local government – Race Equality movement:
Programme structure and broader networks
CELC Tackling
Racial Inequality
Working Group
Best practice
Sponsors:
Andrew Travers &
Andrew Blake-
Herbert
Chair: Serena Simon
(Westminster)
Comms & Eng.
Sponsor:
Jenny Rowlands
Co-Chairs: Anna
Wright (Camden) and
Ben Vaughan
(Havering)
Demonstrating
leadership
Sponsors: Stuart
Love & Kim Smith
Chair: Juliet Amoa
(Lambeth)
Large employers
Sponsors: Kim Wright
& Althea Loderick
Chair: Tracey
Connage (Harrow)
Working group
structure:
• Sponsor
• Working group lead
• Working group
members
Programme team
Borough staff networks
(Lead connection: Kim Smith)
Existing local government
networks and groups,
including:
• NGDP BAME Network (Lead
connection: Althea Loderick)
• Sub-regional groups (WLA,
CLF, SLP, LL)
• Heads of HR
• Professional Networks
• LLP Alumni
• Borough leadership teams
• Recruitment agencies
• Borough staff networks
CELC thematic areas
• Adults
• Childrens
• Crime & Policing
• Economy & Employment; Skills
• Environment
• Finance
• Health
• Housing & Growth
• Transport
• Welfare Reform
These areas align with Best practice,
Demonstrating leadership and Large
employers WGs
Data Task
Group
Sponsor: Kim
Smith
Chair: Paul
Aladenika
(Lewisham)

6. What are our achievements? Building and
maintaining momentum, communication and
staff voice
Consolidated the 5 working groups:
Around 200 volunteers spanning across every borough -
race equality is everyone’s problem.
Race Matters newsletter
• Topical blog posts
• Voices from staff
• Sharing good practice
• Events

7. • Data collection and monitoring (but also helpful
to disaggregate this data)
• Understanding:
o Patterns of racism and discrimination for
marginalised and minoritised groups
o Differences, challenges, inequalities and
disparities for marginalised and minoritised
groups
“Acceptable terms” [not agreed]:
Spell it out:
• Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic
• Black, Asian & Multi-Ethnic
Global majority
Black (political)
• Power and politics of language –
ability to demean and exclude or
empower and include
• The importance of identity
• Engagement with the communities we
serve and work with
• Avoiding a one size fits all approach to
supporting communities with different
and distinct needs
Exploring the importance of language and
terminology: “BAME” – helpful or unhelpful?

9. What are our achievements? Sharing
knowledge and our role as large employers
Discussion focus:
• Turning data into action
• Providing support and addressing
racial trauma
Good practice repository
• Collection of examples across
boroughs, developing solutions and
embedding change in relation to
race equality.
• Developed a programme
Knowledge Hub
• LinkedIn group

10. Addressing racial trauma –
some warm up questions…

14. Addressing racial trauma
How do you rate:
Are you confident that your
organisation has support structures
available to address racial trauma?

15. Addressing racial trauma – our role
What can we do?
As employers:
• Role of HR and OD Leaders
• Occupational Health
• Specialist and cultural competent therapists
• Role of Well Being and EDI champions; staff
networks and trade unions
As a sector/in partnership:
• Guidance and framework on racialised trauma
• Measure racial trauma across our organisations
• Learning from the private sector?
“The impact of racism which has the following
consequences on Black and Brown people
such as emotional, psychological and post-
traumatic stress which ultimately has an
impact on an individuals self esteem, mental
well-being, physical health and cultural identity.
This also has an impact on productivity and a
contributory factor to a lack of psychological
safety in the workplace.”
Dr Patrick Vernon OBE

16. What are our achievements?
Workforce ethnicity and
pay data:
• Data collection exercise
to capture differences in
ethnicity and pay across
London local
government
• Collected workforce
perspectives to help
develop solutions

17. Workforce ethnicity and pay data –
what we know
General over-representation of people
from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
communities working in local
government compared to the London
population. This over-representation
has increased from last year (46.7%
vs 42.7%).
Under-representation of people
from Asian communities in local
government.
High representation of people from
Black communities until we get to
the £70k pay band (this has
increased from £60K from last
year).
‘Glass ceiling’ for Black, Asian and
Minority Ethnic staff at the £50–60k
pay band.
11.6% (down from 12.2%) of ‘not
known’ across the workforce with
significant variations across
boroughs

18. What next? Workforce ethnicity and
pay data
Developing a range of products:
• Toolkit around embedding an inclusive
culture/dignity at work through a value-based
approach
• Toolkit around what inclusive leadership looks like
in practice, building on the Hackney toolkit.
• Model around cultural competency centred
around raise awareness and understanding of the
barriers Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff
experience.
• Checklist for inclusive recruitment that focuses on
talent/potential, as well as competence.
Toolkits and guidance:
• Share not declare
• Publishing ethnicity and pay data
• Guidance around how ethnicity and
pay data might be used

19. What next? Broader programme
activity
Race Equality
Standard &
Commitment
Identifying
opportunities
for
collaboration
Language,
terminology
and ‘BAME’
Racial trauma

20. London Councils race equality journey

21. London Councils race equality journey
Engagement – understanding staff
perspectives. Learned about:
• Challenges within the organisation
• Broad concerns and perspectives
around racial injustice
• Aspirations and priorities for the
organisation
Frequent and consistent staff
involvement:
• Check in’s with the organisation through
engagement
• Internal Race Equality Working Group &
Race Equality Staff Network
• Lunch & Learns
Establishing a strategic ambitions for the
organisation:
Corporate Race Equality Strategy 2022 - 25

22. London Councils Corporate Race
Equality Strategy 2022 - 25
Achieving our vision of becoming an anti-racist organisation, that is reflective of London's vibrancy and
communities at all levels.
Being Open
Having the confidence and freedom to talk,
discuss and share about all issues related to race.
Encouraging and welcoming challenge on all
issues related to race.
Demonstrating Respect &
Understanding
Understanding and celebrating the
diverse backgrounds and cultures across the
organisation and London.
Being confident when talking about and reporting
issues on race, doing so with support and dignity.
Proactive Curiosity
Empowering and supporting ourselves to learn
and develop our understanding about race.
Embracing the perspective that greater knowledge
and awareness about race benefits the
organisation.
Being Fair
Ensuring everyone feels valued and an equal part
of the organisation.
Applying policies in an equitable and transparent
manner.
Focusing on action
Being deliberate and actively encouraging to
make positive change on all issues related to
race.
Striving to achieve positive impact in the
organisation and our partnerships.
Every member of staff considers
themselves a leader and champion of
race equality - in their work, interacting
with customers and in our
partnerships
Staff from Black, Asian & Minority
Ethnic backgrounds feel an active part
of the organisation and have fair
access to development opportunities.
We are proactive in celebrating the
diversity, racial or otherwise, of our
staff and of London.
Our behaviours on race equality are
central to all we do - in our work, how
we engage with each other and in our
partnerships.
Collecting and sharing data to
celebrate and challenge our activity on
race equality.
Having a robust, culturally competent
and fair recruitment processes and
practices
Striving for continuous improvement
that is informed by data and insights.

23. Demonstrating leadership theme
2
Pursue Commitment
Statements inc. CELC
DL working group
November
2021
3
Develop Tackling Race Eq.
Standard
DL Working
Group
February
2022
4
Thought leadership towards
targets and standards
DL Working
Group
February
2022
5
Develop approach to
assurance/accountability e.g.
peer reviews
DL working group
May 2022
6
Audit of external validation
(both race equality and
wider inclusion)
DL working group May 2022
7
Work with Runnymede Trust,
LGA Equalities Self
Assessment, Race @ Work
Boroughs (shared
resources)
To be
confirmed
8
Engage more
boroughs/officers
Boroughs, Sub-
regions
Ongoing
9
Visible race eq. work, targets
and planned outcomes in
CELC streams e.g. crime,
health and social care
CELC thematic
groups
Ongoing
10
Visible race eq. objectives in
Covid recovery planning
CELC thematic
groups Unsure
1
Formalise governance
arrangements, build on
existing and work inclusively
Chair and CELC Delivered
1
Collection, analysis and
publication of borough
data
Heads of HR/HR
Metrics
Ongoing
2
Pan-London work to
better understand and
drive change around staff
representation
Heads of HR; LE
Working Group
February
2022
3
Inclusive Mentoring and
support groups
Heads of HR; Sub-
regions
Ongoing
4
Reviewing recruitment
practices and training
offers
LE Working Group
February
2022
5
Approach to share not
declare
Data task & finish
group
February
2022
6Proposals for ethnicity
classification
Data task & finish
group
Ongoing
7
Recruitment practices
e.g. Anonymous
recruitment, diverse
panels, recruitment
organisations pushed for
more diverse applicants.
LLP (fresh thinking
from alumni); LE
Working Group
February
2022
8Leadership programmes LLP Ongoing
9
Local working and
support groups
Boroughs (shared
resources) Ongoing
10
Review of internal and
external websites/comms
Boroughs (shared
resources)
To be
confirmed
Large employer role theme Developing best practice theme
2
Influencing London
Recovery Programme
BP Working
Group
Ongoing
3
Service area reviews
BP Working
Group
May 2022
4
Thematic reviews by CELC
Lead Advisors
CELC thematic
groups
Ongoing
5
Delivering communications
plan, including newsletter
Comms & Eng.
Working group
Ongoing
6
Improving commissioning,
procurement & social value
practices
Sub-regions
To be
confirmed
7
Events (BHM, George Floyd
Anniversary), Public Realm
Reviews
Comms & Eng.
Working group
Ongoing
8
Keeping the door wide open
to innovation and new ideas All Ongoing
1
Creating central resource
pool and learning lab
BP Working
Group
Delivered
Green Progress on track for delivery
Yellow Progress and activity underway but
not/unsure whether on track for delivery
Red No activity initiated
RAG Ratings
Work programme dashboard – April 2022