Agenda item

This paper provides a progress report to the People, Performance and Development Committee on the Local Government Association (LGA) equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) peer review and the three Surrey County Council (SCC) EDI Employee Experience Reviews which were commissioned in 2023. It also outlines the approach taken to incorporate recommendations into the 2024/25 EDI Action Plan and People Strategy Delivery Plan.

Witnesses:

Sarah Richardson, Assistant Director - People Strategy and Organisational Development

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Assistant Director - People Strategy and Organisational Development paper introduced the report and noted that it provided a progress report to Members on the Local Government Association (LGA) equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) peer review and the three Surrey County Council (SCC) EDI Employee Experience Reviews which were commissioned in 2023. It also outlined the approach taken to incorporate recommendations into the 2024/25 EDI Action Plan and People Strategy Delivery Plan. The Assistant Director - People Strategy and Organisational Development provided Members with an overview and the full details were outlined within the published report.

2.    In regard to the EDI Action Plan for 2024 / 2025, the Chairman asked for clarification on the agreed timelines. The Assistant Director explained that there were milestones for each piece of work within the Action Plan over the coming year which were monitored through the EDI Programme Board to ensure that the actions and milestones were achievable. Following discussion, it was stated that it may be appropriate to bring an update report to the committee following the end of the financial year. A Member of the Committee requested that the update report include an executive summary to make the main points of the report clear to Members.

3.    A Member of the Committee stated that he wanted to acknowledge that the review was positive and that, although there was work to do, the authority was making progress and moving in the right direction.

4.    Members noted that the Accessibility Officer role was a temporary post for 22 months. It was further noted that the post would work closely with the Accessibility Forum to provide expertise and maintain an overview of the work that needed to happen on a practical level.

5.    Members noted that a review was being conducted to assess any potential over-representation of employees with protected characteristics in formal HR cases, such as disciplinary actions. It was noted that work had been undertaken to ensure a clear understanding of any disproportionality, with the aim of addressing and preventing unjust over-representation in such cases.

6.    It was discussed that efforts were underway to ensure diverse recruitment panels, with a focus on fostering a workforce that reflects the communities served by the organisation. Officers highlighted the close collaboration with inclusive staff networks to enhance their engagement in recruitment processes and panel participation. Additionally, there was ongoing work to improve recruitment practices to be more inclusive. It was acknowledged that while ethnic diversity was important, representation may also involve colleagues with lived experience of other protected characteristics, ensuring broader inclusivity across the organisation.

7.    A Member raised concerns regarding data collection, noting that staff may be reluctant to share personal information about their characteristics. Officers acknowledged this and clarified that the data collected would serve only as an indicative measure of statistical trends. It was further noted that the data would be used in conjunction with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to assess representation within the council.

8.    The Chairman proposed an additional recommendation to request regular updates on progress at future meetings.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

None.

RESOLVED:

The Committee noted the progress made to respond to the recommendations from the EDI reviews.

That regular updates on progress be provided at future meetings.