Council climbs even higher in Stonewall equality rankings
Published Thursday 12th January 12 in Equality and diversity news
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is now ranked even higher in the ratings which measure the equality rights of its workforce.
The organisation Stonewall has again named the Council as one of UK's top 100 employers of people from Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual communities.
In Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index 2012, the Council scored 158 out of 200 and is ranked an impressive 27th in the Index - up eight places on last year's achievement.
Last year we were rated 35th and previously placed 63rd, 133rd and 268 respectively.
Council leader, Councillor Nigel Holdcroft said: "This score is especially pleasing because it shows how we are continuing to improve in our efforts to ensure equality for our workforce.
"We have made huge strides in this direction since we started participating in the index, so it is a huge achievement to make it into the top 30.
"The Council prides itself on respecting the employment rights of all its employees, so the result marks another move forward for the equalities and cohesion work within the Council.
To reach this 27th place, the Council had to submit a detailed self-assessment, backed up by evidence.
Employees were also invited to complete a questionnaire and respond directly to Stonewall about their experiences of working for the Council.
This year, 363 public and private section organisations took part in the Index. Amongst the participating local authorities, the Council has been ranked 6th nationally.
Stonewall is the UK's leading organisation in campaigning for equality and justice in employment.
It measures a wide range of criteria covering policy and practice including non-discrimination policies and employee networking groups.
The Equality Index is an important tool as it supports the Council's vision of 'creating a Better Southend' by placing equality and diversity at the heart of everything it does.