Ashford Borough Council wishes to be known as an equal opportunities employer by the local community as a whole and by other employers in the Borough.

Statement of Intent

1. Ashford Borough Council is an equal opportunities employer.  The aim of this policy is to ensure that no job applicant or employee recieves less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality , ethnic origin, disability or on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation or marital status.
   
2. This policy applies to recruitment, promotion, transfer, training, the application of grievance, disciplinary and other procedures of employee benefits and all other terms and conditions of employment.
   
3. It is the duty of all employees to accept their responsibility for the practical application of the policy but the Council acknowledges that specific respobsibilities fall upon managment , supervisors and individuals professionally involved in recruitment and personnel management.
   
4. To ensure that this policy is consistently applied, co-ordinating responsibilty will be assigned to the Human Resource Manager who will monitor the operation of the policy for both employees and job applicants and undertake periodic audits.
   
5. To safeguard individual rights under the policy any employee who believes that the Council has applied inequitable treatment to him or her within the scope of the policy should raise the matter through the appropriate grievance procedure.
   
6. To make the policy work requires more than this formal statement.  The policy will assist the creation of the right climate for success and it is for each employee to make his or her own contrribution.  The policy will therefore be brought to the attention of every employee and job applicant and will be kept under regular review.