The Corporate Resources and Economy Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the annual workforce report, a scrutiny review on supporting residents to financial resilience, and a performance update on complaints and member enquiries. The committee reviewed and noted the workforce profile, trends, and progress in equality, equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as priorities for the coming year. Members also heard about emerging priorities in the council's approach to tackling poverty and provided feedback on the direction of the scrutiny review.

Annual Workforce Report

The committee reviewed the Annual Workforce Report, which provides data about Islington's council employees and progress on equality and inclusion. Astrid Keir, Head of Organisational Development, introduced the report, noting that it fulfils the council’s statutory duty under the public sector equality duty¹ and is a chance to celebrate the progress that we've made in building a fairer, more inclusive workplace and also the chance to be honest about where we still need to go. Claudia McClone, diversity, inclusion, and engagement lead, summarised some of the highlights of the report.

Key trends and achievements noted in the report include:

• An increase in the percentage of Black, Asian, and Multiethnic colleagues from 37.62% in 2016 to 47.71% in 2024/25.
• The percentage of Black, Asian, and Multiethnic colleagues in the top 5% earners for 2024/25 was 30.2%, surpassing the target of 27.59% and the London Council's average of 28.15%.
• Over 600 colleagues updated their equality information as part of the 'See the Full Picture' campaign, leading to an increase in the reported disability rate to 10.44% (in 2024/25) from 9.37% (in 2023/34).
• The median ethnicity pay gap has decreased to 3.67% from 6.68% in 2023/24.
• The council has a low voluntary turnover rate of 5.23%, compared to the national average for local government of 14%.

Councillor Benali Hamdache, Leader of the Independent and Green Group, asked about the demographic of casual and agency staff, and whether they align with the council's equality, diversity, and inclusion aims. He suggested including this information in future reports, as casual and agency staff are a substantial part of the workforce.

Councillor Diarmaid Ward, the Mayor of Islington, asked about protective practices for pregnancies and maternity leave, and maternity retention rates. He also asked about the gender balance of the corporate management board.

Councillor Jilani Chowdhury raised concerns about the underrepresentation of Black and minority ethnic (BME) staff in higher salary scales, and asked for a clear picture of why this is happening and how it can be addressed. He also raised concerns about the reasons for resignations and the higher rates of grievances, disciplinary actions, and dismissals among Black and Asian communities.

Councillor Nick Wayne, Chair of Corporate Resources and Economy Scrutiny Committee, summarised the discussion, noting the committee's desire to ensure a senior cadre of officers that reflects Islington's diverse community.

Scrutiny Review: Supporting Islington's Residents to Financial Resilience

Caroline, and Jody, presented the committee with an introduction to the scrutiny review on supporting Islington's residents to financial resilience. The presentation covered the extent of poverty in Islington, the current support offer, the case for a refreshed approach, emerging priorities, and the need for collaborative working.

Key points from the presentation:

• 20% of Islington residents are living in poverty, and 43% of children are living in poverty.
• Populations most impacted include disabled people, those with long-term health conditions, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, and households with children, particularly larger families and lone parents.
• The council offers a range of support, including employment support, benefits take-up initiatives, financial resilience programs, and a financial safety net.
• Despite these efforts, poverty levels remain high, necessitating a refreshed approach.
• Emerging priorities include improving the resident experience, maximising benefit take-up, managing and reducing debt, next-generation employment support, integrated community spaces, and a reshaped food offer.
• Collaborative working across the council and with voluntary and community sector (VCS) partners is essential.

Councillor Ruth Hayes, Chair of Environment, Climate Change and Transport Scrutiny Committee, asked about how easy it is to get data on people who are neither working nor claiming out-of-work benefits. She also commented on the importance of improving the quality of people's lives, not just addressing basic needs.

Councillor Jilani Chowdhury thanked the IMEX team² for their work, and asked how the team can promote benefit entitlement, particularly among older people in social housing.

Jody spoke about the importance of the voluntary sector in reaching communities that the council struggles to reach. She also mentioned the importance of strength-based practice³ and working in partnership with the VCS.

Councillor Nick Wayne opened the floor to soundings from the committee on the questions and issues for consideration in the scrutiny review.

Councillor Toby North observed that poverty is particularly acute at either end of the life course, among children and older people, and suggested drilling down more into those groups.

Councillor Gulcin Ozdemir, Chair of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee, asked about the council's expertise in helping people navigate exemptions to the two-child limit⁴, and whether the IMEX team has experience working on this.

Councillor Sheila Chapman suggested speaking to the University of Bristol's Personal Finance Research Centre, and asked what could be done to include more in the review on how to future-proof residents against risks.

Councillor Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong suggested exploring universal basic income⁵ as a radical approach to system change.

Councillor Saiqa Pandor, Women and Girls Champion, highlighted that it is hard for some communities to ask for help because there's a lot of shame and stigma attached to that.

Councillor Ruth Hayes noted that it's important to understand what prevents people from making a successful claim for benefits, and suggested a more rights-based approach.

Councillor Nick Wayne said that he would refine the questions and issues for consideration based on the feedback from the committee.

Complaints and Member Enquiries Performance Update

Melanie Rose, Director of Digital Services, provided an update on the complaints and member enquiries performance. This was noted as an item for information only, and not for discussion. Councillor Nick Wayne thanked Melanie Rose for the update, and said that the report very much focused on the systems that are being looked at, and that the systems have to go hand in hand with making sure that the culture of the way that we interact with residents is where we want it to be. He also said that it would be really helpful to have some reflections on what changes are being brought about to the way in which we communicate with residents in particular.

Items for Monitoring

The committee then moved on to the items for monitoring, including the forward plan of key decisions⁶ and the scrutiny review tracker⁷. These were taken as read.