We are committed to fostering a fully inclusive culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We believe in embracing diversity and promoting equality which strengthens our communities, enhances our services, and reflects the values we stand for.

Our ED&I Commitments for our workforce

In 2023 we launched the following ED&I Commitments for our employees:

Nurture Inclusion – so that all employees feel valued and supported to bring their whole-self to work, irrespective of their backgrounds.

Promote Diversity – to ensure we have a culture, practices and policies that support our people and respect individual differences.

Cultivate Equality – to ensure our people have equal access to opportunity and are treated fairly and equitably.

We are proud to serve a diverse population and are dedicated to ensuring that our policies, practices, and services are accessible and equitable for all.

We believe in:

• Creating a welcoming environment where differences are celebrated and everyone feels a sense of belonging.
• Listening to and learning from our communities, ensuring their voices shape the decisions that affect them.
• Challenging discrimination and inequality wherever it arises, both within our organisation and in the wider community.
• Promoting inclusive leadership and accountability, with clear goals and transparent reporting on our progress.
• Embedding inclusive practices in recruitment, development, and service delivery to reflect the diversity of our districts.

We are committed to continuous improvement, transparent dialogue, and working in partnership with our residents, employees, and stakeholders to create a fairer, more inclusive future for all.

We have a number of employee-led networks which help us shape an inclusive workplace and drive positive change across the organisation, supported by our management team.

Our staff networks include:

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network and Champions
• Wellbeing Champions
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Menopause Network and Champions
• Climate Change Champions
• Staff Survey Working Group Champions

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to any applicant that declares a disability and can demonstrate they meet the minimum criteria for the role. We will offer reasonable adjustments to the recruitment and selection process in order to ensure access to all and an inclusive, fair and equitable process.