C2E: Case study: Liverpool Direct
 

Case study / Press release: April 2007

LIVERPOOL DIRECT LTD

Liverpool Direct Ltd. (LDL) is a joint venture between Liverpool City Council and British Telecom and provides a comprehensive service to the people of Liverpool requiring any advice and support on issues associated with normal council activities.

Its business includes eleven ‘One Stop Shops’ scattered around the city in addition to a 24/7 advice call centre, has been so successful that it is regularly visited by other Local Authorities and organisations looking to copy its model.

LDL is very much a ‘people’ business with over 1,000 employees, the HR & P department is crucial to its continued success. In late 2006 LDL HR personnel contacted c2e to review the possibility of being assessed and then accredited to c2e Diversity Assured. Following meetings between senior c2e staff and LDL senior management it was agreed to go ahead and LDL set them a stretching target to be accredited at all 13 sites by the Easter 2007

LDL’s HR staff set up a demanding schedule and ensured that all site managers were aware of the needs of the c2e assessment. They committed themselves to be the first to be audited and provide a lot of the supporting information that would be essential for all departments to meet c2e’s Diversity Assured exacting standard.

Diversity Assured accreditation concentrates on the culture of equality and diversity within an organisation rather than just administrative compliance. The majority of the staff at LDL had come from the City Council which already had a strong commitment to equality and diversity through its own training and HR practices. LDL therefore had the necessary fertile soil on which to plant the c2e seeds.

Seventeen audits at 13 locations were carried out in the three week period between 15th March and 5th April. Such was the quality of staff and their commitment to equality and diversity matters, but even more importantly, their day to day application to all staff and customers that all sites passed their audit with scores of over 90% -the Gold standard.

As Jack Picton, one of the c2e auditors commented ‘It was a pleasure to visit all the LDL departments, there was a unique spirit of inclusiveness and welcome for all their many and varied customers and staff, and a positive attitude to treating everybody equally’. “LDL has clearly set a very high standard for their staff and organisation.”

Dawn Hibbert, Executive Officer and project co-ordinator for LDL commented ”we are all delighted with the results gained at each site, it has been a first class team effort by all including the c2e team whose continual hands-on assistance through-out the implementation of the programme was crucial to its success. We now look forward to successfully introducing the equality and diversity programme to both our customers and suppliers over the next few months.”

Liverpool Direct Ltd is a joint venture company between British Telecommunications and Liverpool City Council

Liverpool Direct Ltd
Venture Place
Sir Thomas Street
Liverpool
L1 6BW
Tel: 0151 227 1410