City move to close race pay gap among council workers by 2025

A LACK of diversity among city council appointments could be taken up directly with department heads, an opposition councillor suggested.

Birmingham City Council’s cabinet has approved a plan to eradicate any race pay gap by 2025, following the publication of a workforce race equity review.

The review showed black, Asian and minority ethic staff at the council are paid on average £1.18 per hour less than white employees. When measuring mean hourly pay, black, Asian and minority ethic staff were paid £13.62 per hour while white colleagues were paid £14.80 per hour.

The review states black, Asian and minority ethnic staff make up 28 per cent of the council’s workforce compared to 42 per cent of the wider population of the city.

White staff make up 43 per cent of the workforce compared to 58 per cent of the city while the ethnicity of 29 per cent of staff is currently unknown.

At this week’s cabinet meeting, Cllr John Cotton, cabinet member for social inclusion, community safety and equalities, outlined the council’s plans for its workforce to become fully representative of the city in the next five years.

A report to councillors laid out new and previously announced changes, such as the adoption of a rule meaning at least one woman and one ethnic minority candidate will be shortlisted for every vacancy at the authority.

Other plans include ensuring all recruiting managers are trained in recruitment and selection and unconscious bias training, investigating the use of artificial intelligence in recruitment marketing as well as mandatory equalities training for all staff.

Cllr Cotton said: “The council needs to lead by example as an employer in these areas.

“It is I think a very difficult and challenging read and I make no apology that it is. Frankly, you cannot fix a problem unless you acknowledge you have one.”

He said a lack of diversity was most pronounced at senior level of the council’s workforce.

“We have taken a long hard look at ourselves today and said no - this isn’t the organisation we want to be,” he said.