Unbelievable! Brent Council is a finalist for 'Race for Opportunity' award

If the news that Muhammed Butt had been chosen to headup the Equalities brief by London Council was not enough to declare irony dead, jaws dropped with a clang at the Brent Civic Centre today when the following notice was spotted on the Council Intranet:

Brent shortlisted for Race for Opportunity award 

We have been recognised for our commitment to increasing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation in the workplace. 

The council has been named as a finalist in the Transparency, Monitoring and Action award category at the Race for Opportunity Awards 2015. LINK

The awards celebrate outstanding practice, innovation and dedication to race equality and inclusion in UK workplaces. The winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner on Tuesday 6 October at the London Hilton, Park Lane.  

Sandra Kerr OBE, Race Equality Director, Business in the Community, said:  "Congratulations to Brent Council on being named as a finalist in the Transparency, Monitoring and Action Award category at the Race for Opportunity Awards 2015. 

"They are taking action to create a workplace culture which puts race equality at the heart of their activity and have demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring that ethnic minority talent has equal opportunity to progress at every level.  

"It's a huge positive to see that they recognise the UK's changing demographics and are addressing the need to reflect the clients, communities and customers they serve, and I hope other organisations will learn from their example."

One Brent worker said, 'Imagine our faces when we saw this. We were speechless at the Council's barefaced cheek in putting themselves forward.'

Meanwhile unconfirmed rumours are circulating that the rule, devised by Cara Davani, prohibiting workers leaving the employ of the Council from taking their ipads with them, had been changed just before she left.