To celebrate Black History Month, St Albans City and District Council has signed a charter which aims to combat racism in the public sector.

UNISON’s Anti-Racism Charter commits the organisation and its leader to a range of pledges designed to prevent racial bias.

These include championing a racially diverse workforce, having a clear programme of anti-racist initiatives and providing equality training for all staff.

The charter is building on the work already being undertaken by the council as part of its equality, diversity and inclusion strategy.

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St Albans council are expected to report on their ethnicity pay gaps and monitor disciplinary and grievance processes to ensure outcomes are fair.

Nalin Cooke, UNISON Eastern regional organiser, said: "Making these commitments is a brilliant way for St Albans council to mark Black History Month, clearly laying out plans to tackle all forms of discrimination for staff in the here and now.

"This won’t only improve the experiences of Black staff, but lead to fairer and better workplaces, helping improve the quality of services in St Albans."

St Albans City and District Council chief executive Amanda Foley said “We will continue to work with our councillors, staff, UNISON and the wider community to promote diversity and root out racism in all its forms.”