The Committee considered a report that provided the annual update on delivery of the Inclusion and Diversity Strategy. A copy of Strategy was attached to the report at Appendix 1, a year one plan update was attached at Appendix 2 and the year 2 delivery plan was attached to the report at Appendix 3.

The report stated that Reading was a diverse and vibrant place with pockets of affluence and deprivation. Most of the people who worked for the Council were local with approximately half of the workforce (48%) living in the Borough and a further 37% had an RG postcode. The desire was for the Council to have a workforce that reflected and understood the communities it served and to be seen as an employer of choice within the Borough’s communities, one that valued inclusion and diversity and the different perspectives they brought.

The Council’s Inclusion and Diversity ambition was to create and inclusive culture where all staff could all do their best work and could thrive. Tangible progress had been made since the launch of the Strategy and this was set out in the report. The main priorities for the second year of the Plan were set out in the report and in detail in Appendix 3.

Resolved:       That the progress that had been made in relation to the delivery of the Council’s Inclusion and Diversity Strategy be noted.