Cross Party Motion presented by Cllr Ross McWilliams and, seconded by Cllr Wisdom Da Costa

Recognising the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights statement on racism & xenophobia: “Prejudice or hostility towards a person’s race, colour, language, nationality, or national or ethnic origin…Intolerant discourse in the media or from politicians can lead to increased racist sentiments towards migrants and other minorities, including in the form of scapegoating,” ?this Council resolves to:

i)             Collect high-quality diversity data including conducting annual workplace surveys to analyse progress being made against Equality Objectives (2018 – 2022), including how well the organisation and Members reflect the demographic makeup of RBWM and the UK, and to identify steps to improve any disparity; findings will be reviewed and scrutinised at Corporate O&S and by members of the public.

ii)             Introduce mandatory such as unconscious bias training for councillors and officers, and encourage teaching and learning about Britain’s colonial past and slavery; the Members’ Code of Conduct will be amended to include a requirement to complete an annual training session.

iii)           Write to the Secretary of State for Education asking for a more ambitious national educational standard on issues of race and gender equality, and inviting him to attend an RBWM-hosted Gender & Race Equality Conference, where residents and employers can talk and share ideas on the importance of having high-quality diversity data; creating an organisation open to all; identifying the challenges and celebrating the achievements of people of colour in RBWM.