A flagship Labour council requiring employees to take a “privilege” evaluation to tackle unconscious bias toward ethnic minorities has launched an educational campaign to get young people thinking about race, we have found.
Westminster City Council is working to increase the number of non-white “global majority” individuals in senior positions by favouring them over white candidates with equivalent qualifications and guaranteeing at least one ethnic minority candidate on every job shortlist.
To support the council’s target of aligning the percentage of global majority staff, including senior leaders, with the 45 percent seen in the borough’s population, all hiring managers and recruitment staff must complete obligatory training on unconscious bias and inclusive hiring practices.
The recruitment process has sparked furore, with Neil O'Brien, a Tory MP and former minister, accused Westminster City Council of running "racist hiring policies on an industrial scale".
Amid the controversy, GB News has found an entire section on the council's website devoted to diversity and inclusion.
Westminster City Council is urging parents to teach their children about race
Google/Westminster City Council
Located within the ‘family information’ hub section, users are invited to swot up on the 'anti-racism toolkit'.
The document opens up with a quote from DEI consultant Vernā Myers, who describes herself as "one of the most influential leaders in diversity, equity, and inclusion".
The Myers quote reads: "Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance."
The purpose of the toolkit is to "challenge practitioners’ views and ensure that diversity and race are discussed and included in the curriculum in a non-tokenistic way".
Its prescriptions include recognising unconscious bias and negative stereotyping. "The uncomfortable truth is you are biased," the document states.
The DEI educational campaign includes an explainer on Black Lives Matter.
This educational resource draws attention to the "brutal murder of George Floyd", which "galvanised the world to start speaking out about matters of racial inequality".
Encouraging parents to open up a dialogue about race with their children, the council says reading diverse books that "promote inclusion and equality" is a good starting point.
At the end of this section, the council poses the following question: 'Should people from other racial groups talk to their children about racism too?'
To which the council then replies: "Yes 100% This is an issue that affects us all. Silence from other racial groups is equivalent to be complicit to the racism at the core of society."
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Located within the ‘family information’ hub section, users are invited to swot up on the 'anti-racism toolkit'
Google/Westminster City Council
The portal also includes a DEI questionnaire, which includes the following section: 'How do you demonstrate your nursery is inclusive?'
Here, nursery teachers are advised to "listen out for any personal bias leaking out" of the children.
Westminster City Council has also thrown in a booklet that states the following aims:
- Highlight the various ways that race and racism impact children in the early years
- Introduce the idea of racial socialisation and how it supports child development
- Start to think about ways to support racial socialisation in the early years
- Identify some ways to facilitate your journey in supporting racial socialisation in your setting.
The council has defended its approach to DEI recruitment policies, with a Westminster council spokesman saying: "Westminster City Council's recruitment policies are industry standard, entirely consistent with UK employment law and have been in place for a number of years."
