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THREAD: In June I started reporting on lack of diversity in leadership in #Birmingham There were stark health inequalities exposed by coronavirus, the #BlackLivesMatter 
movement and historic frustrations born out of unequal opportunity for the city's Asian and Black communities
movement and historic frustrations born out of unequal opportunity for the city's Asian and Black communities
The voices of Brummies - among them @IWestmids @braphumanrights @DESJADDOO @punchrecords @COREeducate - rose up to say too little had happened in decades. In the spotlight first was @BhamCityCouncil https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/everyone-white-call-more-diversity-18389143
There was no escape too for @NHSBSolCCG or @uhbtrust both of whom had a similar absence of diversity at the top of the organisations, despite being responsible for the health of half a million people of Black, Asian and other ethnic minority origin. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/uncomfortable-truth-lack-diversity-birminghams-18508132
But the spotlight fell particularly on @birminghamcg22 - the Commonwealth Games, taking place in the heart of the most diverse of cities, was being led by all-white exec team, majority white senior employees and a Board of Directors who were white, bar one https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-commonwealth-games-2022-diversity-18455089
Running parallel was the realisation that the effects of coronavirus were falling especially hard on people of colour - as featured here: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/taskforce-set-up-find-truth-18270325
What happened next was a promise of change, and progress, from all sides...with a particularly strong prononouncement coming quickly from @BhamCityCouncil new CEO @publicnaylor https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/positive-discrimination-pledge-jobs-birminghams-18588505
Quickly followed by this from @CllrJohnCotton the city's equalities lead reflecting on the need to commit to action not just words: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/this-everyones-battle-equalities-chief-18732127
So it's really heartening to see @BhamCityCouncil now set out a clear way forward and commitment that builds on those pledges for greater diversity. In a report to the Cabinet next week, dep CEO Jonathan Tew sets out plan to tackle poverty that "still scars too many in our city."
He writes: "As one of the cityâs major employers, we want to lead by example and take positive action measures to remove barriers to advancement within the council, in order to address the serious lack of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation at senior level."
The commitments include a #Rooneyrule for job shortlists "to address the current, visible imbalance in gender and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation across the authority and ensure all council interview panels are representative."
This means - among other things - "Staff vacancies, at all levels, will include at least one Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and one female candidate."
The @bhamcitycouncil also pledges to "undertake a root and branch review of our HR policies, procedures, training and other related activity"
They also promise to "co-design a fast track recruitment and development programme for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals" using a respected equalities org as consultants
The council @BhamCityCouncil also promises to be open and transparent about how it is doing, publishing its recruitment and workforce data regularly. This is good stuff.
Brilliantly, @BhamCityCouncil also promises to sponsor the next phase of the Birmingham Poverty Truth Commission - which gives voice to those who experience poverty in all its forms. I wrote about the first phase here: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/stark-truth-poverty-birmingham-told-16310844
There is loads more in this doc - about poverty, disability and tackling injustice. It won't go far enough for some, and too far for others, but it is encouraging. When I started reporting on this issue, lots of people told me promises had been made before...for years...
But those good intentions have not really come to anything - because if it had we would not now be a city with an estimated 45% BAME population where seeing black and brown faces at the top table is still, mostly, an exception, in all walks of life...
This is just a start, I'm sure. There is not much in here directly about barriers of class and disability but a commitment to addressing inequality in all its forms runs through it. Give it a read for yourself, and let me know your thoughts. (P309 onwards) https://birmingham.cmis.uk.com/Birmingham/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=R7EPIuTSjo1dHi3n9SKgVJxMpUuv5QuL4o7gZqqhqF52uWb3t6Ldhg%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d
And this @bhamcitycouncil agenda incidentally is crammed with other hot topics - among them a call-in (chance to review and ask Qs about) the still controversial #CleanAirZone #CAZ for #Birmingham. There's also news that @LibraryofBham needs ÂŁ3m of maintenance work...
Then there are plans to extend @ErdingtonAcad at cost of around ÂŁ6.8m to provide 300 more secondary school places in #Erdington There's also important change to rules around consulting with the community on planning - a temp change because of Covid restrictions, but one to watch.
