Equality statement 2024

We aim to provide an inclusive, respectful, and discrimination-free work environment for all our employees and councillors.

We want all our employees and councillors to feel respected and appreciated. We have three core values that our staff and councillors work towards:

• Put customers first. We are passionate about our customer service. We always listen and work with our customers to meet their needs. We take responsibility for things we can change and improve and encourage our customers to do the same.
• Improve and innovate. We challenge each other to look for ways to do things better. We listen to feedback and learn from it so we can improve. We welcome change and move forward with confidence.
• Have respect for everyone. We listen to everyone and understand each other’s views and pressures. We appreciate each other and trust our colleagues to do a good job to the best of their ability.

We want to have a workforce that celebrates equality, diversity, and inclusivity as part of everyone’s work life balance. Our belonging and wellbeing strategy promotes and encourages more staff engagement in the belonging and wellbeing agenda. Our belonging and wellbeing group meets regularly with representatives from all services. We continued to encourage our staff to create inclusion networks, and have networks for the LGBTQ+ community, carers, menopause and young professionals.

We remain committed to promoting and encouraging an inclusive culture where people can openly and constructively express their feelings without fear of retribution and criticism. In support of this we maintain policies on whistleblowing and the prevention of bullying and harassment, to ensure employees can raise concerns in confidence without fear of recrimination.

When organisational changes are proposed, our management team consults with employees, both as individuals and collectively through employee representatives with support from the human resources team.

We have a modern and accessible office space. We have two accessible electric height adjustable desks and carpets with contrasting colours for walkways and desk areas.

We continue to meet the needs of employees with a disability including purchasing speech recognition software, upright computer mice, trackball devices, specialist keyboards, specialist chairs that support people with chronic back, neck or leg issues, and specialist seat pads for drivers with conditions, such as sciatica or sacro iliac damage.