Cardiff Council’s commitment to being a fair and inclusive workplace has once again been recognised by Stonewall – Britain’s leading Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) equality charity – by being the only Welsh Local Authority to be listed in the charity’s ‘Top 100 Employers in Britain’ 2012 index for a third successive year.
With tougher criteria and the number of entrants to the 2012 Index up by nearly 4% from last year – from 350 to 363 – Cardiff Council surpassed some stiff competition from a range of employers from across Britain to be ranked fifty-sixth; which also meant it came in the Top 10 of Welsh Employers listed.
Over recent years, Cardiff Council has established a number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) initiatives, which has helped the authority to champion its equality causes and provide additional support, advice and guidance to its employees and citizens.
This includes the Council’s LGBT Employee Network, which acts as a point of support for LGBT employees amongst the authority’s 16,000 strong workforce, and has recently been acknowledged by Stonewall as one of its 2012 Star Performer Network Groups – a scheme designed by the charity to showcase excellence in employee networks. And to help combat homophobia in schools, two year’s ago Cardiff’s Youth Services established the “Loud and Proud” Youth Provision, which has given young LGBT people a platform to raise awareness of the need for all young people to live in dignity.
Council Leader, Cllr Rodney Berman, said: “As the largest public sector employer in Wales with a workforce providing services to the country’s most culturally diverse city, it seems only natural that we want to invest in our staff by embedding an organisational culture of acceptance and openness to different equality issues.
“The Council operates a no tolerance policy to all kinds of discrimination, including homophobia, which is supported by a range of measures and a working ethos that we have fostered over the years to ensure that everyone feels welcome and valued.”
“Along with our commitment to our workforce, the Council also plays an active role in offering the lesbian, gay and bisexual community of Cardiff support. In 2011 we were involved with a number of key events including LGBT History Month and our continued support to the Cardiff Mardi Gras, to ensure it remains a key event in the city’s calendar.
Cllr Judith Woodman, Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council and its Executive Equalities Champion, added: “There is no place for narrow-mindedness in our organisation and eradicating inequalities from the workplace has been a personal venture of mine for some time.
“As evidenced by our presence in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list, Cardiff Council is committed to fairness and promoting equal opportunities, regardless of someone’s age, gender, race, religion, disability, parental responsibilities and of course sexual orientation.“
