Barnet Council's Cabinet has approved the publication of its Annual Equalities Report, which details the council's commitment to its statutory responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty. The report outlines progress against the Towards a Fair Barnet Roadmap 2024-2030 strategic equalities objectives, which are centred around three core principles: People: Understand the whole person , Place: Understand and tackle local causes of inequality , and Planet: Support a just transition to net zero .

Councillor Zahra Beg, Cabinet Member for Equalities, Poverty Reduction and the Voluntary & Community Sector.
Councillor Zahra Beg

Councillor Zahra Beg, Cabinet Member for Equalities, Poverty Reduction and the Voluntary & Community Sector, presented the report, highlighting successes over the past year and future ambitions. The report details significant advancements in workforce equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Workforce Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Successes:

  • Increased Representation: The report notes a doubling of representation for Black staff in senior leadership positions (grade 8 and above). Disability representation has seen a substantial increase of over 200% since 2023, rising from 2.6% to 8.7% (compared to the local population at 12.8%). LGBTQ+ staff representation has grown to 4.5% (against a local population of 2.8%), and staff identifying as Black, Asian, or another minoritized ethnicity now constitute 44.8% of the workforce (compared to Barnet's population of 42.3%).
  • Improved Recruitment Practices: Recruitment processes, including application, shortlisting, and interviewing, have been enhanced to ensure greater fairness and consistency across all roles.
  • Internal Progression and Upskilling: The council actively encourages internal progression and upskilling opportunities for its staff.
  • Graduate Programme: The graduate programme now boasts a higher representation of Barnet residents than ever before.
  • Training and Awareness: Over 30 training and awareness sessions were delivered, covering a range of topics from Islamophobia and antisemitism to the experiences of Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, and boating communities.

A collage of images depicting community engagement, including a group with bicycles, a gathering in a park, a quilt with 'Solidarity' displayed, a group of people in a room, and individuals gardening and playing soccer.
Community engagement initiatives

Embedding Equality Objectives into Service Delivery:

The report also highlights several case studies demonstrating how equality objectives are being integrated into service delivery:

  • Transport Strategy EqIA: An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) for Barnet's Long Term Transport Strategy 2020–2041 identified potential impacts on different groups and informed mitigating actions, such as addressing digital exclusion risks associated with new technology for public transport information.
  • Adult Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard: The Adult Social Care team is participating in the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard, a programme aimed at fostering anti-racist workplaces. Data analysis from this initiative will guide targeted actions.
  • Family Services Anti-Racism Embedding: The Children and Family Services directorate has updated its Workforce Development Strategy and Career Progression Pathway documents through co-production to address structural racism and improve progression routes for Global Majority and marginalized groups into senior management. Initiatives include 'Online Career Conversations' and an 'Honorarium Fund' to support staff from these backgrounds.
  • Supporting Unaccompanied Minors: The 'Onwards and Upwards Team' demonstrated best practice in supporting an unaccompanied minor's cultural identity and faith, ensuring their wishes were understood and respected, which facilitated reconnection with family and community engagement.
  • Barnet Youth Justice Service Holiday Activities: Barnet YJS organised go-karting for relationship building and risk assessment, and delivered its first Girls Residential Programme to empower young girls. The 7th Residential Programme saw a returning participant become a local mentor.
  • Community Events Programme: The council's Community Events programme, supported by the Community Events Fund, celebrates culture and heritage. This year, the focus has been on enabling community partners to run their own events, including the launch of the 'There's Art in BARneT' campaign.
  • 'Connecting Communities' Campaign: This communications campaign, co-produced with over 40 community groups, celebrated diverse communities through 11 videos promoted on social media to foster cohesion.

During the Cabinet meeting, Councillor Beg addressed questions regarding the report's principles. It was agreed that equality objectives should be the responsibility of every council department and every cabinet member. While Councillor Beg expressed satisfaction with the current cabinet structure, she acknowledged that any decisions regarding its composition would be made by the new administration .

Councillors Conway and Moore welcomed the report, emphasizing the need for a specific focus on equalities.

Future Ambitions:

Councillor Beg outlined future ambitions for equalities work, including further embedding the Roadmap objectives into service delivery to establish long-term change, strengthening partnerships with communities, and continuing to embed an anti-racist approach into everyday practices. The council also aims to enable further capacity for residents and community groups to run their own events and tackle inequalities from the earliest stages of life.

The report is expected to be published on the Council's website. The full report can be accessed here: Appendix 1 - 2025 Annual Equality Report.