A flagship Labour council is telling staff to undergo a “privilege” test as part of its efforts to combat unconscious bias against ethnic minorities. The Telegraph has the story.
Westminster city council is also seeking to boost recruitment of non-white “global majority” candidates for senior posts by giving them preferential treatment over equally qualified white applicants – and ensuring there is at least one ethnic minority candidate on shortlists for jobs.
All managers and staff who hire workers must undergo mandatory unconscious bias and inclusive recruitment training as part of the council’s ambition to raise the proportion of global majority employees, including senior managers, to match the 45 per cent in the borough’s resident population.
Insiders have told The Telegraph that they are offered a virtual “privilege walk”, in which staff are expected to assess their social advantage by gaining or losing points in an online quiz based on factors such as whether your parents read to you, if you drive a new car, and if you have never been stopped and searched by police.
Managers who fail to shortlist global majority candidates – so called because black, Asian and multiple ethnic people make up 85 per cent of the world’s population – have to contact Stuart Love, the council’s chief executive, to “discuss your decision making before proceeding further”, say documents seen by The Telegraph.
The approach to diversity is the brainchild of Mr Love, who has been in the role since 2018. He has previously said that his “guilt” from growing up as a white child during apartheid in South Africa has fuelled his “relentless” commitment to equality, diversity and exclusion.
Last year, he told Management Today that he embraced “wokeness” as an awareness of social injustice. “We should all be woke, but particularly in local government where we are delivering services to communities,” Mr Love said.
“When things have gone wrong here, I’ve heard people say it’s because I’m too ‘woke’ or I’m focusing on the ‘woke agenda’. But all this has done is double down on my efforts. I lean into this term because it’s been hijacked and weaponised. I am quite happy to be accused of being socially aware of injustice.”
Last month, the council was criticised for urging pubs and clubs in Soho to host “quiet nights” and offer alcohol-free activities after 6pm in an attempt to make the capital’s West End more peaceful for residents.
Mr Love said that Westminster’s recruitment policy had led to a sevenfold increase in the proportion of senior “global majority” managers, up from just five per cent. Figures from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, however, also showed it was the council with the most employees on salaries of at least £100,000, a total of 73 in 2023/24, up 13 on 2022/23.
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