Calls for Sheffield Council to employ more Roma staff

Councillor Paul Wood, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety, said they had a ‘very white council’ and it needed to change to better reflect the city’s diversity.

At a safer and stronger communities committee meeting where they were discussing the Controlling Migration Fund, Coun Wood said: “One of the big problems I think we have as a council, and I hate to say this really, but we don’t really make it an inclusvie council when it comes to employing people from minorities.

“I think this is very true when we looked at the Roma situation – we have no Roma employees that work on projects in this area (Page Hall). We should certainly have Roma teaching assistants in schools with lots of Roma children and we definietly need wardens and community workers from the Roma community.”

He said they were working on ways to improve the situation. “We are trying to recruit more people from the Roma community and I have asked Dawn Shaw (head of community services) to look at how we can fund and finance some staff to help with the problems in the community.

“The big problem is it is very difficult to get into. It’s not got the organisation or structure which other parts of the BME community and so we feel this is probably the best way forward to deal with it.

“I would also like to see the council have a much better employment policy when it comes to employing people from different backgrounds. It’s a very white council at a senior level and I think we need to look at that with all jobs that come up in the future.”