Transport for London: Achieving Level 5 of the ESLG

Transport for London (TfL) has recently been awarded Level 5 of the Equality Standard for Local Government (ESLG). TfL is by far the largest and most complex organisation to meet this standard and one of very few who have achieved Level 5, which is externally assessed in a rigorous way.

We acted as critical friends for TfL as they collected the evidence that they had progressed from Level 4 to Level 5 in the previous year. We read and assessed all the records, both of employment and service delivery achievements, and collected case studies to demonstrate the practical work involved in achieving these outcomes.

Our work involved making judgements about how comprehensive and robust the evidence was and where and how it could be strengthened to support the submission. For example, TfL has a good track record of engaging customers in plans and policies but previously did not record how that engagement had influenced their decisions.

The ESLG involves both service delivery and employment issues and TfL has invested enormously in staff coaching and training in equalities. Level 5 has enabled them to gain credit for the investment but also for the outcomes of that investment, which include a more diverse workforce, better performance management and better and more equalities-sensitive customer service.