The Employment Committee of Bracknell Forest Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 8 October 2025, to discuss several key items. These include the Annual Workforce Equalities Monitoring Report 2024/2025 and an update from the Chair of the Local Joint Committee. The committee will also be asked to note the minutes of the Local Joint Committee held on 2 July 2025.

Annual Workforce Equalities Monitoring Report 2024/2025

The committee will be asked to agree to publish the Annual Workforce Equality Monitoring Report 2024/25. The report fulfils the council's duty to advance equality of opportunity, eliminate unlawful discrimination, and promote good relations between people, as required by the Equality Act 2010¹.

The report highlights both achievements and areas needing improvement. Key headlines from the report include:

• Top 5% of earners: The percentage of women, ethnic minorities, and disabled individuals in the top 5% of earners.
• Local authority employees: The percentage of local authority employees (including schools) who disclosed they meet the Disability Discrimination Act² (DDA) definition.
• Ethnic minority groups: The percentage of local authority employees (including schools) from ethnic minority groups.
• Gender Pay Gap: The gender pay gap including the Bracknell Forest Supplement.
• Staff turnover: Percentage of staff leaving within one year of starting.

The report notes that Corporate Management Team has been concerned about the high level of turnover amongst black and minority ethnic workers and has focused attention specifically on understanding and addressing this issue.

The report also includes data on:

• Workforce Composition
• Employee Relations (ER)
• Pay Gap Reporting
• Workforce Turnover
• Workforce monitoring
• Workforce and local population profile
• Age profile
• Disability Profile
• Workforce ethnic origin profile
• Religion and belief profile
• Sex (Gender)
• Sexual orientation
• Workforce Retention and Recruitment
• Workforce Establishment
• Workforce Working Patterns
• Recruitment – Starters
• Workforce Grade and Pay Gap Reporting
• Staff Promotions
• Next Step Strategies and Actions

The report papers include a summarised draft of the Annual Workforce Equality Report 2025.

Update from the Chair of the Local Joint Committee

The committee is scheduled to receive a verbal update from the Chair of the Local Joint Committee.

Minutes of Sub Groups

The committee will be asked to note the minutes of the Local Joint Committee held on 2 July 2025. The attendees of the Local Joint Committee included Councillor Georgia Pickering, Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Commission, Councillor Nick Allen, Councillor Guy Gillbe, Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Countryside, Councillor Philip Thompson, and Angie Rolfe from UNISON³.