Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Kirklees Metropolitan Council spans 157 square miles of vibrant towns (Huddersfield, Dewsbury & Batley) and iconic villages. Kirklees has a diverse population of 440,000 people, of whom over 92,000 residents are from ethnic minority heritage and 1 in 6 adults are disabled. We know our approaches are more effective and better able to be flexible to the diverse needs and opportunities of our very different communities when our workforce reflects the wide diversity of our residents. We want to ‘grow our own’ and tap into the diverse talent available locally using our apprenticeship programmes.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. This award recognises strong performance by a council, with a primary focus on the relevant timescale, in developing a diverse and inclusive culture that permeates the council itself and its workforce and/or the broader local area. The entry could demonstrate the council’s attempts to foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all employees, and members, and describe how this is helping to attract and retain talent. It could include internal council initiatives, customer/service user-facing work, or work to promote a wide range of careers on the council to appeal to different people. The entry could alternatively focus more on the broader local area, highlighting initiatives to foster diversity and help facilitate inclusion across the local community. It could include how the council has worked with other business and other local organisations to improve opportunity or participation. It could look at engagement.