Cambridge City Council signed up to a landmark charter on tackling racism, on Tuesday 13 January, reaffirming its commitment to equality in the workforce.

The motion to sign up to Unison’s Anti-Racism Charter was passed at Council on Thursday 9 October 2025, during Black History Month.

Unison’s Anti-Racism Charter commits employers to a raft of policies designed to challenge racism in the workplace, improving life for staff and, therefore, the services they provide to Cambridge residents.

It includes championing a racially diverse workforce, having a clear programme of anti-racist initiatives, and providing equality training for all staff.

The council has already been delivering many of the commitments set out in Unison’s Anti-Racism Charter. This includes annual reporting on its ethnicity pay gap and monitoring disciplinary and grievance processes to ensure fair outcomes, in line with its Public Sector Equality Duty. Signing the charter formally reinforces this work and underlines the council’s clear and ongoing commitment to tackling racism in all its forms.

Beyond signing the charter, the council is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable culture where all staff feel a sense of belonging and purpose. This work is guided by the council’s People and Culture Strategy and its values of being collaborative, compassionate, courageous, and accountable, ensuring that commitments to equality are embedded across the organisation.

Cllr Anna Smith, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Cambridge is a proudly diverse and welcoming city, and it is important that this is reflected in the way we seek to operate as a council.

“We are proud of our commitment to equality, and to anti-racism. But we should always strive to do better for our workforce, especially at this time, when racial hatred feels as if it’s on the rise in our country. So, I’m really delighted to have worked with my Unison colleagues to bring a motion to council asking that we adopt this charter, and equally delighted that the motion was supported cross-party.

“By signing up to the charter, Cambridge City Council will be standing with councils and other public bodies across the country that have also adopted this charter.”

Liz Brennan, Unison Cambridge City and South branch secretary, said: “It’s fantastic that Cambridge City Council has made this commitment to its staff.

“Diverse, discrimination-free workplaces are better workplaces, able to better provide services for the people that rely on them.

“By signing Unison’s Anti-Racism Charter, the council is doing a great service to its staff and the people of Cambridge, setting an important example to other employers across the city.”