City council to use ‘positive discrimination’ to fill job roles Authority’s chief reveals radical plan
BIRMINGHAM City Council is to guarantee ethnic minority representation on job shortlists to redress a lack of diversity among top brass.
All 12 of the most senior jobs at the council are held by white people in a city where nearly half the population is of an ethnic or black background.
City council chief executive Chris Naylor said: “We have tried balanced interview panels, blind-name recruitment, bias training – all are important but they are not sufficient.
“People may flinch... and say I’m not sure we should be undertaking positive discrimination. In response I’d say this, just look at FTSE 100 companies. There are more FTSE chief executives called Steve than there are women or people of colour.
“If any positive discrimination is going on, it’s in favour of blokes called Steve.”