Sunday, 7 June 2015

Brent Council searches for Head Of Equality against background of racial discrimination finding

Kilburn Times September 25th 2014
Brent Council has advertised for a Head of Equality with a closing date of June 15th. and interviews in early July. The new Chief Executive Carolyn Downs' appointment is due to be ratified at the Council meeting on June 26th. The appointment takes place at a time when there has still been no disciplinary or competency procedures over the Employment Tribunal finding that Brent Council and Cara Davani, Head of Brent Human Resources, had racially discriminated against an employee,  victimised her and constructively dismissed her.

The job could be a bit of a hot potato.  It will be interesting to see if there are any applications from ex-Ofsted or Tower Hamlets employees.

Meanwhile perhaps Wembley Matters readers would like to nominate somone for the post.

Head of Equality

Ref 14849
Location Brent
Department Corporate and Business Support
Business unit HR and Administration
Salary range: £48,477 - £51,441 p.a. inc.

Creating Opportunities. Improving Lives.

Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here.

The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.

The Post

Understanding diversity and tackling inequality has never been more important, as the council has to respond creatively and constructively to address the needs of its residents, meet its statutory responsibilities and continue to demonstrate its community leadership. The Equality Team leads the council's work on equality, diversity, cohesion and human rights. As the Head of the Equality Team, you will drive the integration of effective diversity and equality practice into everything the council does as a locality leader, as a provider and commissioner of services and as an employer.

The Person

You will have extensive knowledge of equality, diversity and inclusion good practice and an understanding of the challenges that local government faces today. You will be able to apply this knowledge at a strategic and operational level in order to improve the lives of local communities and strengthen equality, diversity and inclusion in our workforce.

You will have the ability to build effective relationships at all levels to drive the continuous improvement of equality, diversity and inclusion practices in Brent. You will be expected to provide confident and practical leadership to ensure the council meets its legal, business and reputational responsibilities.

If you share our vision and passion for the vital role of equality, diversity and inclusion in local government, we welcome your application.

Closing Date: 15 June 2015 (23:59)
Assessment Date: w/c 29 June 2015
Interviews: w/c 6 July 2015


Additional Information

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Applications are particularly welcome from people with a disability as they are under represented across the council.

All organisations and individuals who work with children and young people, or are involved in providing services for them have a duty to safeguard and promote their welfare.

We are committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Before you join Brent Council, you will need to provide your National Insurance (NI) number and undergo a Home Office Standard I.D. check.

Successful applicants may be required to apply for a DBS Disclosure.

Please note CVs will not be considered as part of your application for this position.





Labour's Mayoral candidate selection a level playing field?


Muhammed Butt, Sadiq Khan & Dawn Butler at the 'non political' Harlesden Transformation ceremony in February
Further to my post on the Brent Central nomination of Sadiq Khan and Diane Abbot for London Mayor, I have belatedly seen Ratbiter's article in the current Private Eye.

Supporters of candidate David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, had talked about the impact of 'machine politics' on the nomination process.

Private Eye, after discussing the changes made the the 'supporters' registration process to make it more open after pressure from Lammy and Abbot, continues LINK:
But the attempted stitch up didn't stop there. Miliband had not only made Khan his shadow justice secretary buthis shadfow miister for London, too. This job gave him access to the email addresses of ondon Labour members, which the party denied to Lammy and Khan's other rivals until last week. As early as December, Khan was using his advantage to direct potential supporters to his personal website - Sadiq Khan: Let Londoners Run London - and urging them to 'sign up to my campaign'.
Ratbiter goes on to say that 'Khan is rumoured to have promised [Ken] Livingstone control of London transport in return for his endorsement'.

Brent Council Leader Muhammed Butt has left little doubt on where he stands. He has been avidly retweeting Khan's tweets and those of his supporters.


Saturday, 6 June 2015

Shahrar Ali speaks out on Confronting a World at War



Shahrar Ali: UK must not add to suffering of those fleeing war


Shahrar Ali, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, is to speak at the Stop the War Coalition’s Conference ‘Confronting a World at War’ this afternoon. He will speak on the subject of war and migration

The conference brings together writers, activists and politicians from around the world to analyse recent conflicts and current foreign policy approaches.

Shahrar Ali said:
The Green Party will contribute to this important debate about conflict resolution with an analysis of unjust war as a major cause of displacement of peoples. Too often governments fail to recognise the long-term impact of foreign policy disasters on the lives of untold families, forced to flee from persecution or from the destructive power of arms these governments have sold abroad or used themselves.

The UK must not add to the suffering of those fleeing from war with the imposition of arbitrary restrictions on movement, which often have inhumane consequences. We must hold to our collective obligations as a common humanity and take joint responsibility for instability we have directly caused or are implicated in.

We have clear policies on dialogue, peace, diplomacy and international cooperation which aim to tackle forced migration at source, to grant communities both the capability to live in peace and also the right of return.
The Green Party has opposed recent UK interventions in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, and holds that the UK needs to rethink its current defence policy. In particular, the Green Party advocates the abolition of Trident.