Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) has joined in partnership with the trade union, UNISON, to become an anti-racist organisation.

It is the first upper tier local authority to sign the charter, committing the council and its senior management to a range of pledges designed to prevent racial bias being put in place over the next 12 months.

The charter includes championing a racially diverse workforce, having a clear programme of anti-racist initiatives and providing training for employees.

The council already reports on its ethnicity pay gap, which is part of this pledge, and will take steps to monitor disciplinary and grievance processes to ensure that outcomes are fair.

Stephen Moir, chief executive of CCC, said: “By signing up to the anti-racism charter with UNISON, we are recognising that we can and will do more to support our employees and to becoming a fairer and just organisation.

“We want all our colleagues to have the confidence and know that they also have the support to challenge racism in all its many guises.”