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# Call for more training to ensure councillors are aware of impact of decisions
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/call-for-more-training-to-ensure-councillors-are-aware-of-impact-of-decisions/
- Published: 2023-09-05T09:43:17.000Z
- Updated: 2023-09-05T09:43:34.000Z
- Description: More training is needed to ensure members of Lichfield District Council are aware of the impact of their decisions on under-represented groups in their communities, an opposition leader has said.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:01, News

More training is needed to ensure members of Lichfield District Council are aware of the impact of their decisions on under-represented groups, an opposition leader has said.

It comes after the local authority published statistics which showed that 41% of its workforce was female, compared with 51% of residents in the district overall.

Other statistics in the equality and diversity statistics showed that just over 3% of employees were from black or ethnic backgrounds compared to 5% of the overall district population, while only 2.7% of staff said they had a disability compared to 18% of residents in the area.

Cllr Sue Woodward, said that the council needed to look at ways to ensure it continued to represent the diversity of the district as a whole.

Cllr Woodward said:

> “In terms of the council workforce, progress is being made to ensure that it reflects the Lichfield District communities that it serves and I welcome this but more still needs to be done on the recruitment of women, black and ethnic minority officers and officers with disabilities.  
>  
> “We must not allow the needs of these groups to be overlooked.  
>  
> “Of more concern to me is that the membership of the council – the elected councillors – is far less diverse than our communities.  
>  
> “This makes it all the more important for councillors to be aware of impacts on the under-represented groups in our communities and in our workforce when we are making decisions.   
>  
> “I’ve seen far too many examples of inappropriate behaviour and language since the elections. The bias may be unconscious, or not, but it can not be ignored.”  
>  
> Cllr Sue Woodward, Lichfield District Council

The statistics come after a councillor was [criticised for the use of language to describe disabled people](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/councillors-clash-at-planning-meeting-over-language-used-to-describe-disabled-people/) at a meeting in August.

Cllr Woodward said she had called on the leadership of the district council to ensure equality and diversity training was organised “as soon as possible”.

> “The training should be made compulsory for all members, and direct advice should be given to members who are felt to have crossed certain lines.  
>  
> “I’ve had positive responses from the council leader and chief executive but now want this to happen as soon as possible.”  
>  
> Cllr Sue Woodward, Lichfield District Council