Newcastle City Council has been revealed as the most inclusive employer in the UK by Stonewall.
Stonewall is a LGBTQ equality charity in the UK and they release a ‘Top 100 Employers’ list each year and have been doing it for the past 16 years.
The list was released today and Newcastle City Council claimed the title, making it the first ever local authority to reach that spot.
After being the highest-ranking local authority for the last three years, Newcastle City Council finally reach first place, competing with 503 submissions.
Councillor Joyce McCarty, Deputy Leader of Newcastle City Council, said:
“I’m incredibly proud that our commitment to inclusivity has been recognised with this accolade, and it is a fantastic achievement for us to be the first local authority to be named as Stonewall’s Employer of the Year.”
Coun McCarty added:
“But this is really an award for everybody in our city who shows us every day that we are all equal and that our great city accepts everyone. Newcastle is a safe and welcoming city and the North East in general does a great deal to champion the LGBT community. We are all eagerly anticipating the fantastic opportunity to demonstrate this by being the host city for UK Pride 2020.”
Stonewall’s Executive Director, Sanjay Sood-Smith, said:
“We spend most of our lives at work, so getting workplace inclusion right makes a huge difference in the lives of so many LGBT people. Newcastle City Council is paving the way for others to follow when it comes to putting LGBT inclusion and equality at the heart of their workplace.”
We asked Northumbria University student, Olivia Helm, how she felt about Newcastle City Council being listed as number one. The 21-year-old said:
“It makes me feel supported. It also makes me feel glad that the community is being given equal opportunities in my region.”
She then said:
“I always thought of Newcastle as being quite progressive anyway, as it has an active LGBTQ community in and around the city.”