A drive to promote equality, diversity and inclusion across Staffordshire continues to be a key priority, the leader of Staffordshire County Council has said.
The comments by Cllr Alan White, leader of the authority, come after figures revealed that the council’s mean gender pay gap – the difference between the average earnings of men and women in the organisation – has fallen to 9.7%
He added that work was continuing to ensure “fair and equal opportunities” are made available within both the county council and the wider region.
“Working to ensure everyone in Staffordshire has the best opportunity they can to do well, to thrive and be happy is at the core of the values of this council.
“As a major employer, we want to lead by example to others across the county.
“I am proud of the progress which has been made, but recognise too that more work still needs to be done to make Staffordshire a truly inclusive place to live and work.”
Cllr Alan White, Staffordshire County Council
Cllr White said that initiatives over the past 12 months had included the launch of a new translation and interpretation service to ensure communities can receive information in different languages, as well as offering work placements to those who face barriers to employment.
A meeting of the county council’s cabinet on 15th February will also hear about plans to develop equality and diversity policies around recruitment and apprenticeship applications.
