Diversity takes centre stage at Council
Diversity took centre stage at Warwickshire County Council yesterday (Tuesday 23 November) when staff got the chance to find out about work their colleagues are doing to promote equalities in the workplace.
They also took part in a ‘question and answer’ session with Portfolio Holder for equalities, Cllr Peter Butlin.
The event was organised as part of the County Council’s involvement in the West Midlands Diversity and Inter-faith week, which is this week.
The County Council has three established staff networks: a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) network, a Disability Staff Network (DSN) and a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) network. All three networks gave presentations about the work they do, giving other employees with the opportunity to talk to them and find out about their relevance in the workplace.
Following the presentations, there was a ‘question and answer’ session with Cllr Peter Butlin, Warwickshire County Council’s Support Portfolio Holder for Customers and Workforce, who is the lead councillor for equalities.
Cllr Butlin said: “Today’s event was a great opportunity for some of our employees, who play very active roles in our staff networks by representing different groups, to showcase their work to a wider audience within the council.
“Providing equality and respecting diversity is central to our vision at the county council. I found it really interesting taking questions from staff members and I’m very pleased that we recognised Diversity and Inter-faith Week in the West Midlands by holding the event.”
On Wednesday and Thursday (24 and 25 November), the council will be holding a series of short ‘Celebrating Inter-faith’ sessions for staff, which will be chaired by Jatinder Birdi, Chairperson of the Warwick District Faith Forum.