Diversity advisers Stephen Frost and Helena Morrissey urged to give ‘no holds barred’ assessment
The Cabinet Office has appointed four diversity advisers from the world of business and sport to help ensure that women, disabled people and BAME staff are better represented in the civil service.
Stephen Frost, head of diversity at KPMG, and formerly of Locog; Helena Morrisey, founder of the 30% Club, and Karen Blackett, chief executive of MediaCom UK, will join Christopher Holmes, former Paralympic swimmer and non-executive director at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), to give a “no holds barred” assessment of Whitehall’s diversity agenda.
Announcing the appointments on Monday (21st September), Jeremy Heywood, cabinet secretary said the civil service had “a duty to become even more representative of modern Britain.”
“A diverse and inclusive workforce is proven to be more efficient and effective, and I want Stephen, Karen, Chris and Helena to take a no-holds-barred approach and tell us clearly where we can improve,” he said.
“I am passionate about encouraging individuals from all backgrounds to aim high and achieve their potential too, and in doing so to help the civil service become a truly socially inclusive employer.”
The appointments come following a number of damning reports, which criticise the Cabinet Office’s record on diversity.
A study from the National Audit Office (NAO) found that there were just 38 per cent of women working at a senior level of the civil service in 2014, while civil servants with long-term health conditions felt "less engaged and are more likely to feel discriminated against, bullied or harassed.”
ONS data from 2014 revealed that ethnic minority staff account for just 10 per cent of the civil service workforce, and 10 per cent of recent applicants to Senior Civil Service (SCS) stem from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
As part of the civil service reform plan, Heywood launched the Talent Action Plan, a two-year two-year programme of support for government departments in making diversity a priority.
Commenting on the appointment of the four new external advisers, cabinet office minister Matt Hancock said: “Improving levels of diversity and inclusion is not simply important for the role of the civil service as an employer, but also in the development of policy and in the delivery of more effective and efficient services.”