The Employees' Consultative Forum of Harrow Council met on Wednesday 29 July 2026 to review two key information reports: the Annual Workforce Equality Report for 2025-2026 and the Annual Health and Safety Report for the same period. The meeting also included procedural items such as the appointment of a Chair and Vice-Chair, and the noting of minutes from a previous meeting.

Annual Workforce Equality Report 2025-2026

The Forum was scheduled to consider the Annual Workforce Equality Report 2025-2026, which provides a detailed breakdown of the Council's workforce. This report, a requirement under the Equality Act 2010, aims to offer an overview of the workforce's diversity profile and compare it with the population of Harrow and the London average. The report covers the Council's directly employed workforce, excluding school-based employees, interim, and agency staff. Key areas of focus within the report include data completion rates for protected characteristics, age demographics, disability disclosure, ethnic representation, gender distribution, religion and belief, sexual orientation and gender reassignment, and data relating to pregnancy and maternity. The report also details achievements and commitments in advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within the organisation.

Annual Health and Safety Report 2025-2026

The meeting was also scheduled to review the Annual Health and Safety Report for 2025-2026. This report details the Council's health and safety performance over the year, including an analysis of accidents and incidents, trends, and the effectiveness of the Health and Safety Strategy 2025-2028 and Corporate H&S Performance Plan 2025-2026. It highlights the work of the Corporate Health, Safety and Wellbeing Service in developing the H&S management system and providing support across the organisation. The report details key workstreams undertaken by the H&S team, including policy reviews, training delivery, inspections, audits, and risk assessment management. It also provides an overview of wellbeing initiatives and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) utilisation. The report notes an increase in reported accidents and incidents compared to the previous year, which may indicate improved reporting practices. It also details the number of RIDDOR incidents and the top accident/incident types, with injury and violence/aggression being the most frequently reported. The report includes information on health and safety training, legislative updates, and stakeholder feedback, as well as plans for the upcoming year.

Procedural Matters

The agenda also included standard procedural items. These included noting the attendance of any Reserve Members, receiving declarations of interest from members, and the appointment of a Chair from the Employees' side and a Vice-Chair from the Council side for the municipal year 2026-2027. The minutes from the previous meeting held on 28 January 2026 were also scheduled to be taken as read and signed. Additionally, the Forum was to receive any petitions or deputations, and note any public questions received.