Agenda item

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Human Resources which provided an update on equality and inclusion initiatives and set out the pay gap differential with regards to ethnicity and disability.

The Chair advised that the report before Members sought funding of £1000 for participation in the Parade, but this should be amended to £1300 and the sum would be provided from the Committee’s 2018/19 Contingency fund. In response a Member queried why the costs had increased and the Chair explained that the costs remained the same, however the Staff Network had previously used their own budget to cover participation in the Parade. The Chair also advised that the City of London Corporation was encouraging the Staff Networks to think of opportunities they might be interested in order for the expenditure to be spread equitably.

Discussion took place on the ethnicity and disability pay gap during which the following comments were made:

·         A Member noted that the gender pay gap snap shot as set out in the report was two years old and asked that more recent information be provided. The Director of Human Resources responding advised that the information was being prepared and would be presented to the Committee mid-year. The Committee asked that this information be presented as expeditiously as possible.

·         A Member noting the complexity of the data suggested that a statistician be employed to provide analysis.

·         A Member observed that the statistics around ethnicity and disability were concerning and raised the following points:

o   Analysis and clarification of the statistics would be needed, and it was asked that a basic understanding of the strategy that would address the pay gaps be provided.

o   In the report before Members it was explained that employees in the lower quartile were casual employees and less likely to enter their ethnicity and disability information on City People. It was asked what the City Corporation could do to address this.

o   The Guildhall complex even with the recent works which had taken place was still difficult to navigate for those with mobility issues and this was an area which should be considered.

o   It was asked whether Members could access the Equality and Inclusion Training as detailed in the report.

Responding to the points raised the Director of Human Resources advised that:

·         The data provided within the report was raw and analysis would need to be carried out in order to find out the reasons behind the disparities.

·         Initiatives were taking place which looked at the City Corporation’s recruitment processes and how to attract and recruit people. This included an Attracting Talent workshop which had already been carried out and a new recruitment campaign which would demonstrate that the City Corporation was an inclusive and welcoming employer would go live within a month.

·         In relation to obtaining monitoring information, the City Corporation already runs campaigns encouraging staff to respond.

·         Discussions were taking place with the City Surveyor as to how improvements could be made to the Guildhall for those with mobility issues.

·         All Members had access to the City Corporation’s online training which could be found via the intranet.

RESOLVED – That the Committee:

·         note ethnicity and disability pay gaps and plans to develop and consult on an action plan to redress any imbalances

·         note the update and proposed schedule from the Diversity and Business Engagement (D&BE) Lead Officer with particular attention to the Stonewall Diversity Champions section and Diversity Networks

·         note the general equality and inclusion update

·         note and support City Pride’s participation at Pride London Parade on 7 July 2018; and

·         agree to fund the cost of participating in the Parade from the Establishment Committee 2018/19 Contingency fund of up to £1300 for the entry cost of £800 and any further associated expenses.