Apartheid Brighton?

A damning report has accused Brighton and Hove City Council of racism. The report which was commissioned by the Council, stated that many job applications were ignored if the applicant had a ‘foreign’ sounding name.

Published on 18th May 2013, the Race Equality in Employment at Brighton & Hove City Council report was commissioned as an independent review of the council’s employment policies. It revealed that Irish staff were routinely mocked for their accents and for drinking alcohol and that Bangladeshi employees were persistently turned down for promotion. The report also found that when people anglicised their names their applications were shortlisted.

The report, produced by HPO Global revealed that within the council,

there is a climate of fear, intimidation and autocratic rule”.

Staff felt paranoid about reporting racist incidents as it would be seen as

rocking the boat”.

One employee stated that she had made twenty five applications to the council and had seven interviews, before she was given a job in administration. She claimed that,

I saw dismay in the manager’s face when she realised I spoke with an accent. I was there only for a week, and she used baby talk with me all the time."

The Council’s record on equality with BME employees is poor. The number of BME staff offered posts dropped from 7.8% in 2010/2011 to 2.9% 2011/2012 and those who are in roles, were likely to be employed in more junior roles, rather than as middle or senior managers. Moreover, BME staff were more likely to be disciplined compared to other staff. In a city with a BME population of 18%, one Black staff member told the researchers,

"My friends and family ask me why I work for the council. Everyone knows that this is not a great place to work if you’re black.”

In response to the report Brighton and Hove Council said in a statement,

Brighton & Hove City Council is planning to change its approach to race equality in the workplace.”

The report is shocking, but not surprising. Other councils have been accused of similar fallings. In Crawley, thirty miles from Brighton, Councillor Lenny Walker was sacked from his cabinet post for accusing Crawley Borough Council of being ‘institutionally racist’. Councillor Walker made similar accusations against the Council for its treatment of BME staffs and lack of adequate representation of the large BME community.

This mistreatment of BME staff and elected officials by councils only further creates disconnection and alienation from our public institutions. Councils can become increasingly out of touch with their populations, as their makeup does not reflect the demographic realities of their boroughs - effectively creating structural apartheid. As well as racial equality, it is a fundamental question of democracy, lack of diverse representation only marginalises BME communities further.

Usman Butt