Westminster council offers staff chance to take ‘privilege' quiz
A flagship Labour council offered staff the option to take a 'privilege test' in a move to combat unconscious bias against ethnic minorities.
Westminster Council workers are asked to take an online quiz which gives a privilege score based on answers to statements like 'I am a white male' or 'I have an illness or disability', according to the Daily Telegraph.
The council said the questions appeared on a Powerpoint presentation from 2021 and do not form ' any part of formal policy, training or recruitment process.'
Answering yes to 'I am a white male' would score +15 points, while answering yes to 'I am a carer' would score -5 points on a scale of least privileged to most privileged, according to the newspaper.
The quiz also asks staff to answer yes or no to statements like 'My parents or guardians read to me when I was a child' (+5 points) and 'I have never been stopped and searched by the police' (+10 points), it was reported.
Other statements read: 'I do most of my food shopping at Waitrose or Marks and Spencer'(+5 points), 'I think twice about calling the police when trouble occurs' (-5 points) and 'I live in rented accommodation' (-5).
Answering yes to 'I drive a new car' would score a staff member +5 points, while answering yes to 'I have to take annual leave for my religious holidays' would result in a score of -5 points.
Last month, Westminster Council proposed alcohol-free 'quiet nights' in Soho as part of a plan to transform the famous district.
It encouraged Soho bars and pubs to cater for neurodiverse people through 'sensory-friendly' nights with reduced noise, dimmed lighting and calm zones.
Cllr Geoff Barraclough said the plan was intended to 'balance the needs of a thriving evening and night-time offer with the wellbeing of the residents who call Westminster their home.'
A Westminster Council spokesperson said:" Westminster City Council 's recruitment policies are industry standard, entirely consistent with UK employment law and have been in place for a number of years.
'In keeping with many public sector and private companies, we are committed to ensuring all candidates can compete for a range of roles and we actively promote ourselves as an inclusive employer.
'This PowerPoint presentation, which we believe was available on the council's staff intranet from 2021, does not form any part of our formal policy, training or recruitment process.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Grooming gangs national inquiry demands grow as Tories force vote on new probe into ‘disgusting' crimes
LABOUR MPs will be put under pressure as Tories force a vote on holding a national grooming gangs inquiry. The Conservatives are tabling an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which calls for a statutory inquiry into the scandal later this month. 3 3 They say Labour's plan for five local inquiries is inadequate because the scale of abuse was much wider. And they do not have the power to summon witnesses and requisition evidence. It will put Labour MPs in a tricky position as some have gone against the party to call for a national inquiry. And it could trigger a Red Wall rebellion. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'We now know that these disgusting crimes were deliberately covered up by the police and local authorities simply because the majority of the perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage. 3 "The young girls - some as young as 12 - had their lives ruined. 'The cover-up has to end and those who hid these crimes held to account. 'It is disgraceful that not a single person has been punished for the cover-up. 'Every decent Labour MP who cares about this should vote for our amendment in Parliament.'
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Abbott calls Starmer's immigration comments ‘fundamentally racist' at rally
Backbench Labour MP Diane Abbott has criticised Sir Keir Starmer's comments on immigration as 'fundamentally racist' at a protest rally, suggesting the Government was copying the rhetoric of Reform UK. Thousands of trade unionists, campaigners and activists gathered to 'send a message' to the Government at a demonstration over spending cuts and welfare reform in central London on Saturday. Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Ms Abbott were among those who gave speeches at the rally outside Downing Street following a march. Organisers The People's Assembly accused the Government of making spending cuts that target the poorest in society. The Prime Minister said the UK risked becoming 'an island of strangers' when he unveiled plans for tighter controls on immigration in a major speech last month, leading to a mixed reaction from different parties. Addressing the protest crowd in Whitehall, Ms Abbott – who was previously suspended by Labour in 2023 before being allowed to run in last year's general election – said there was an international struggle to 'fight the rich and the powerful (and) to fight the racists', including in her own party. The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP said: 'I was very disturbed to hear Keir Starmer on the subject of immigration. 'He talked about closing the book on a squalid chapter for our politics – immigrants represent a squalid chapter. 'He talked about how he thought immigration has done incalculable damage to this green and pleasant land, which, of course, is nonsense – immigrants built this land. 'And, finally, he said we risk becoming an island of strangers. 'I thought that was a fundamentally racist thing to say. It is contrary to Britain's history. 'My parents came to this country in the 50s. They were not strangers. They helped to build this country. 'I think Keir Starmer is quite wrong to say that the way that you beat Reform is to copy Reform.' Reform's leader Nigel Farage previously said his party 'very much enjoyed' Sir Keir's speech, as it showed he was 'learning a great deal' from them. Representatives from the National Education Union, Revolutionary Communist Party, Green Party and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union could be seen at the demonstration's start point in Portland Place. The large crowd then set off towards Whitehall shortly before 1pm. Many of the protesters were holding placards that read 'Tax the rich, stop the cuts – welfare not warfare'. Other signs being held aloft said 'Nurses not nukes' and 'Cut war, not welfare'. Mr Corbyn, who also criticised Sir Keir's 'island of strangers' comments, told protesters at the rally: 'As the wars rage around the world – the killing fields in Ukraine and Russia, the abominable, deliberate starvation of children in Gaza and the genocide that's inflicted against the Palestinian people continues – surely to goodness we need a world of peace. 'We need a world of peace that will come through the vision of peace, the vision of disarmament and the vision of actually challenging the causes of war, which leads to the desperation and the refugee flows of today.' The Independent MP for Islington North urged protesters to 'go forward as a movement of hope, of what we can achieve together (and) the society we can build together'. The People's Assembly said trade unionists, health, disability, housing and welfare campaigners with community organisations came together for the protest under the slogan 'No to Austerity2.0'. A spokesperson said: 'The adherence to 'fiscal rules' traps us in a public service funding crisis, increasing poverty, worsening mental health and freezing public sector pay. 'Scrapping winter fuel payments, keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap, abandoning Waspi women, cutting £5 billion of welfare by limiting Pip and universal credit eligibility, and slashing UK foreign aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP, while increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, are presented as 'tough choices'. 'Real tough choices would be for a Labour government to tax the rich and their hidden wealth, to fund public services, fair pay, investment in communities and the NHS.'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Voters overwhelmingly back tax on wealthy to protect public services
A poll commissioned by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), found the public support tax increases on the wealthy and big businesses by a margin of almost two to one - 58% to 28% Voters overwhelmingly back taxing the wealthy more in order to protect public services, a new poll found today. The research, commissioned by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), found the public support tax increases on the wealthy and big businesses by a margin of almost two to one - 58% to 28%. And the number rises among people who switched their vote from the Tories to Labour in last year's election - where a mammoth 71% said they supported the idea, compared to 23% who did not. And Labour voters who are now strongly considering voting Reform also backed it by 61% to 32%. The new polling comes ahead of the Spending Review, which the TUC says can be the "next key step" in the government's plan to rebuild Britain and deliver industrial renewal. The TUC said the findings highlight the public's appetite for rebuilding public services - and suggested a "fairer" tax system should be part of plan. General Secretary Paul Nowak said: 'The Spending Review can be the next key step in the government's plan to rebuild Britain and deliver industrial renewal. 'Communities are still crying out for meaningful change after more than a decade of Tory austerity and neglect. 'That's why the government must stay on track – building on the positive start it made at last year's Budget by providing sustained funding for our public services and infrastructure. 'The global outlook is challenging, but leaving our decimated public services without sufficient investment would risk both future growth and public trust." The poll also found nearly 6 in 10 voters - 59% - believe the wealthiest don't pay their fare share. And a clear majority - 56% - said big businesses don't pay their fare share. More than two thirds (67%) said there were too many tax loopholes that could be exploited by the wealthy. Asked how more could be raised from the richest, two thirds backed an annual wealth tax on estates over £10 million. Some 63% backed a windfall tax on banks, and half said they supported increasing capital gains tax - the tax people pay on the profits from selling assets like property. 'The message from voters is clear," Mr Nowak said. "They want the government to protect and rebuild our public services. 'If that means asking the wealthiest to pay more, the public are behind it. People are fed up with a system where those with the broadest shoulders don't pull their weight.' Pollsters Hold Sway surveyed 2000 adults in Great Britain online between 30 May and 2 June.
