Council chiefs are looking to recruit someone from a black or ethnic minority background to speak up on a key decision-making committee.
The deadline to apply for the influential post with Brighton and Hove City Council is today (Friday 28 August).
The council said: “Are you from a black and minority ethnic (BME) background with a track record of championing equality and inclusion and a demonstrable commitment to anti-racism and racial equality?
“We’re looking for someone who is from any ethnic minority group(s) to join us as a standing invitee, with full speaking rights, on the council’s key decision-making committee.
“This is an opportunity to sit at the heart of Brighton and Hove’s democracy and enable the lived experience and diverse perspectives of BME people to be heard.
“The successful candidate must live or work in Brighton and Hove and not be actively involved in party politics.
“They will be expected to attend meetings of the Policy and Resources Committee where they will have full speaking rights.
“This important and influential position is a voluntary role but the successful candidate will be provided with training, IT equipment and ongoing support.
“The council will cover any expenses incurred in connection with the role.
“If you want to discuss the role you can contact Abraham Ghebre-Ghiorghis, the council’s executive lead officer for strategy, governance and law on 01273 291500 or send an email to abraham.ghebre-ghiorghis@brighton-hove.gov.uk.”
The council’s three party leaders Councillors Phélim Mac Cafferty, Nancy Platts and Steve Bell – said: “We’ve made a public pledge to become an anti-racist council and work towards Brighton and Hove becoming an anti-racist city.
“As political leaders, we recognise that the council must be actively anti-racist and use our privilege, platforms and resources to challenge and remove structural racism and injustice wherever we can, both within the council itself and throughout our city.
“We’re united in wanting our actions to reflect our anti-racist commitment and include our black, minority ethnic and faith communities.
“One of the areas we looked at was the representation of BME people not only in the council’s workforce but also in our local democracy.
“The next local elections are not until 2023 and therefore we’re proposing appointing a person who is BME to sit on the most powerful decision-making committee of the council.
“The Policy and Resources Committee makes important decisions on the most important issues of policy, public finance and city development.
“This will ensure that our democratic decision-making process has the benefit of insight from and reflect the perspectives and lived experiences of someone from a BME background.
“We recognise this work has to go hand in hand with efforts across the council to improve BME representation.
“One representative will not be expected be the voice and lived experience of every single BME person in the city but the idea forms part of an overall push to take immediate and longer term actions to include BME people in every part of the council’s work.
“It follows the example of similar positive action for equality taken by other councils.
“It will give the successful candidate the opportunity to make a difference to the city and influence decisions in the council.
“We’ll make sure the successful person will be provided with the necessary support to perform the role and will be welcomed by all councillors.
“This initiative, among many other actions we are taking, will hopefully help in ensuring that council decision-making is more inclusive and contribute towards our aim of being a fairer and more inclusive employer and public service provider.
“We hope we get as many applicants as possible and look forward to working with the successful candidate in tackling racism and promoting equality.”
For more information or to apply, click here.
BHCC abolished a similar advisory position (on the Planning Cttee) representing disabled needs. Just sayin’…
I totally get this, Save Hove and, like you, I’m just sayin’…. This is not to decry or downgrade a BME voice, which deserves representation, but so do many other minorities.This is pretty tokenist/fashionable, especially for lefties. The council does not listen to anyone at all, particularly the disabled (re all the cycle lanes/Madeira Drive changes), the deaf, the partially sighted, people who are not officially disabled but who are unable to get around very well (especially to lug rubbish to communal bins), the up-slope nature of many pavements and the disgusting, uneven state of many of these pavements.
Bravo ‘fed up with Brighton politics’. What is wrong with the best man to do the job gets it…regardless of colour or Creed??? Why is the flavour of the month in this world is beginning to favour one race over another. Very dangerous!
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Wins award for the most racist, exploitative vacancy this century!
If you are black and will work for free, please apply. Sounds like black slavery to me.
BTW I am a member of the BAME community and live in Brighton!