A new report detailing the progress made during the first year of the council’s Anti-Racism Strategy will be going to the Equalities, Community Safety & Human Rights Committee on Monday 25 March.
The report details the work done across all council directorates to cement anti-racism principles into how the council works, as a service provider and an employer.
Brighton & Hove’s first Anti-Racism Strategy was agreed by councillors in March 2023, following the council’s 2020 pledge to become an anti-racist city.
Developed in collaboration with Black and Racially Minoritised community groups, staff members, residents and anti-racism organisations, the 5-year strategy sets out the work the council will do to ensure Black and Racially Minoritised people have equal opportunities, voice and access to services.
The council is committed to achieving and maintaining a diverse workforce that represents the city it serves.
As a part of the Anti-Racism Strategy, we established a Diverse Talent programme aiming to provide Black and Racially Minoritised employees with personal and professional workforce development, increasing confidence and skills to progress in careers.
The programme ran from April to September 2023 and resulted in significant increase in confidence for those who took part.
We will also be running a Future Leaders Programme in 2024 aimed at Black and Racially Minoritised and/or disabled staff members.
We’re aiming to achieve an overall growth of the organisation’s confidence in talking about anti-racism and intersectionality and a change in culture, reflected by the willingness of staff to have uncomfortable conversations and proactively seek advice and guidance on things like active allyship.
One of the strategic themes of the Anti-Racism Strategy was improving the equality data monitoring across the council.
We’re committed to better understanding who does and does not use our services and what their experience is.
This year, we developed new equality data monitoring forms that can be used council wide and support teams and services to have more confidence in asking for equality data and using them to create changes and increase inclusivity.
In Brighton & Hove, 27% of pupils identify as Black & Racially Minoritised, whereas only 6% of the workforce do.
Many schools have no Black or Racially Minoritised teachers, which is significant because representation and shared lived experience have a substantial impact on pupils’ sense of belonging at their educational institution.
To address the lack of representation in school staffing and outline the nuanced implementation of anti-racism in schools, we developed the Brighton & Hove Anti-Racist Education Strategy.
A team of seconded teachers is helping with the delivery of the strategy. Their vast portfolio of work includes delivering Anti-Racism training to over 50% of state-maintained schools and developing new guidance centred around a restorative justice approach for both primary and secondary schools.
Our anti-racism work in education also supports racial literacy for pupils.
Racial literacy for pupils is about enabling all children and young people to talk about the effects and experiences of racialisation in a constructive and informative way.
This allows young people to be informed in an age-appropriate way and gives them the skills to challenge ideas about race while celebrating difference.
We’re committed to increasing engagement with Black and Racially Minoritised service users and people city wide.
Last year we delivered the Exhale Creative Grant scheme, which funded 3 projects that responded to the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade in the city and showcased Black and Racially Minoritised local artists.
We’ve also awarded £70,000 of grant fund money to organisations that are led by and/or serve Black and Racially Minoritised communities through the Communities Fund.
Councillor Leslie Pumm, Chair of the Equalities, Community Safety & Human Rights Committee, said: “I am very pleased to hear about the progress made during the first year after agreeing our first Anti-Racism Strategy.
“It’s great to see the work done across the directorates and seeing staff come forward to get support and learn from our passionate and highly skilled EDI team.
“Racism, xenophobia or hate of any kind will never have a place in this city – but it’s not enough just to say it.
“It’s absolutely necessary that we inject anti-racist principles into everything we do, only then will Black and Racially Minoritised people in the city see, feel and have a different expereince.
“There’s still a long way to go to achieve our pledge to become an anti-racist city, but I believe the continuous work and actions of our Anti-Racist Strategy will create a solid base for building a fair and equitable city for all.”
These are some of our many priority actions across all our council directorates that are progressing under the strategy.
To learn more about the work we do to become an anti-racist city read the full Anti-Racism Strategy Progress Update report and the appendix to the report.