Council bosses ‘don’t know or understand Slough’ and are ‘not listening to the community’ some staff have said.
The claim comes in a newly-published report into diversity and equality at Slough Borough Council. The report found that the council’s financial woes and recent turnover among senior managers had had ‘an adverse effect on the feeling of wellbeing amongst staff’.
The report said: “Many staff that we spoke to portrayed feelings of low morale amongst themselves and their colleagues. They reported feeling unseen and often unheard by senior managers.
“It is staff’s perception that the most recent recruitment round has resulted in limited diversity at the most senior levels of the council and a feeling amongst staff lower down the organisation that recruitment isn’t inclusive or fair for Slough staff.”
It added: “We did hear the view expressed by some members and staff that because senior managers are not from Slough they don’t know or understand Slough and are not listening to the community.”
The report is a result of an independent review by the Local Government Association (LGA) – an umbrella group for councils. Slough Borough Council invited the LGA to visit in September to help it improve its work on equality, diversity and inclusion.
The report found that cuts had left staff at lower levels feeling as if they ‘have to do multiple jobs at once’. And it said black, Asian or other ethnic minority staff ‘expressed fears about calling out bad behaviours’.
However the report also found that council staff are ‘passionate about Slough residents’. It says: “They want to have a reason to be hopeful and celebrate Slough.” And it said staff ‘feel positive and hopeful about the new appointments at senior level’.
It also said council leaders are ‘committed to advancing equality for staff and residents’ and was particularly ‘confident talking about race, racism and inequality’.
It said council leader Dexter Smith ‘has a good knowledge of the commitment the Council has to equalities’.
It also says that new council directors recognise the authority ‘has yet to put in place some basic foundations and measures to improve equality for staff and residents’. But it also found ‘real green shoots of change’.
Councillor Smith said he recognised that the report meant the council has to ‘do more’ to improve.
He said: “We can do more and we must do more to ensure our plans, our staff, our services are available and accessible, that we talk to more people more often in ways that work for them and that our future is guided and created with our staff, our partners and our residents in mind.”
“We will be scrutinising every line of this report and looking at all the recommendations in detail with action plans coming forward very soon.”
The LDRS has contacted Unison – the trade union for council staff – for comment.
