Lambeth
Council, which has one of the largest minority populations in Britain, has been
accused of having a culture of discrimination.
An
inquiry panel, which investigated the local authority for eight months, found
high levels of bullying, victimisation, sexual harassment and unprofessional
conduct.
Black
workers complained of constant discrimination and that "racism in all its
forms and manifestations was the root cause".
The
panel condemned management style, which it found to be "abrasive to the
point of being authoritarian, exhibiting a high degree of racial favouritism
and a propensity towards the employment of a divide and rule tactic among the
staff".
The
panel recommended the authority retrain all of its managers, especially with
reference to the Race Relations Amendment Act and the Commission for Racial
Equality’s (CRE) objectives.
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The
CRE has warned that nearly a third of public bodies have failed to fulfil race
equality duties imposed on them by the Act.
