Equality, diversity and inclusion Putting EDI into action BPA head of communications and marketing Dave Smith updates on the ongoing work to make the sector more equitable and inclusive ne of the key themes from the BPAs recently launched strategic plan is to inspire and enable a culture of inclusion and diversity. BPA Council members met last month and approved an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy that will now be embedded in the Associations day-to-day governance and culture. A key component of the policy is to reflect that managing diversity and developing a culture of inclusion is a continuous process of improvement, not a one-off initiative. There is substantial research showing diverse and inclusive organisations are more successful. A diverse workforce is not just about characteristics protected in legislation but also about capturing the benefits of having O people with different backgrounds, skills, and experiences. The increasing diversity of the BPA community demonstrates that when you bring together people from a range of backgrounds and with a range of experiences, it is more effective at creating new ideas and challenging established thinking. An action plan has been created to help deliver EDI policy. This includes appointing EDI champions from Council to act as a point of contact for Council in the implementation of the policy. A toolkit will also be established for members to use to improve their own EDI, alongside a charter to promote their commitment to it using a dedicated mark/logo. Following the BPA EDI research project undertaken by Blue Squirrel in 2022, further benchmarking activities are planned to compare the diversity of our sector with that of the UK. This is supported by the BPAs Women in Parking Group, as is the desire to provide and signpost opportunities for training and education for employees to help tackle unconscious bias and negative behaviours in the workplace. The BPA will seek to engage all stakeholders fairly and embed the core values of respect of diversity and inclusion in all its activities, both as a membership organisation and with other external organisations. The policy will be kept under review and improvements made on an ongoing basis. Kelvin Reynolds, BPA chief technical services officer and company secretary, says: Weve always been proud of our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Our new EDI policy formalises and focuses this into a powerful initiative at the heart of our Association. To harness the benefits of diversity, we need an inclusive culture, where everyone can offer their unique skills and experience to make our Association a success. And we want to see the same across our sector. Visit: britishparking.co.uk/EDI-Research In support of BPA Veterans in Parking, the BPA commits to signing the Armed Forces Covenant: armedforcescovenant.gov.uk 33