Residents’ needs have ‘not been at the heart’ of how Slough Borough Council operates, a leading cllr has admitted.
Cllr Ishrat Shah made the comments as she introduced a plan aimed at improving inequalities in the borough.
She said the council had to ‘build a very different relationship with residents’ and that ‘fairness and equality is a very important part of this’.
Cllr Shah said: “For too long residents’ needs have not been at the heart of how the council operates and the council has been under central government intervention since 2021.”
The comments came in cllr Shah’s foreword to a two-year equality plan approved by council leaders last week.
It is aimed at improving how the council addresses inequalities in Slough by meeting the needs of its communities.
Cllr Shah said that despite the fact that Slough is on the edge of London, has ‘excellent transport links’ and is in an affluent area, many of its residents don’t feel the benefits.
She said: “There are many longstanding inequalities in Slough, and life has got more difficult for many after the pandemic and as the cost of living has gone up.
“Slough residents are not accessing the best jobs in the local area and on average earn £50 less per week than those who come to work in Slough from outside the town.”
The plan notes that the average number of years that a man can expect to live in ‘full health’ in Slough is just 58, and 60 years for women.
It says that ‘many factors’ drive inequality in Slough ‘including overcrowding, educational achievement, and employment’.
An average of three people live in each household in Slough – the highest average in England – and 16% of homes in the borough are overcrowded according to the 2021 census.
The plan also says that larger proportions of non-white people live in overcrowded housing compared to white people.
It says that there are ‘pockets of severe deprivation’ in Slough, with 70% of its neighbourhoods below the national average in the index of multiple deprivation.
It also says that Slough has a higher than average proportion of people out of work – 75.5% of working age people are ‘economically inactive’ compared to 78.8% in England.
The plan, approved by council leaders on 14 April, says the council needs to collect and analyse more data on inequalities in Slough’s communities.
It also says council leaders ‘need to demonstrate personal knowledge and understanding of local communities’.
The plan says this will improve how it makes its decisions and reduce inequality in the town.
Cllr Shah said: “These inequalities are unacceptable.
“It will take time to improve these outcomes, but the work must start now, and there must be a relentless focus across the council.”
