Bristol City Council ‘bans the box’ to remove barriers for people with criminal convictions

A belief that everyone should have the same opportunities regardless of background has prompted Bristol City Council to ‘ban the box’.

Described as a huge step in reducing re-offending, the aim is to remove employment barriers facing people with criminal convictions by taking out the tick box on job applications that requires applicants to declare this information.

Bristol is the first authority in the country to make this change and it will apply to all roles that don’t require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, such as those involving work with children or vulnerable adults.

Marvin Rees says the aim is to remove existing barriers

“Everyone applying for a job at the council should be given the same encouragement and opportunity irrespective of their background,” says mayor Marvin Rees.

“Bristol is a place where the opportunities to share in the city’s success are not evenly distributed and barriers exist that prevent some from fulfilling their potential.

“Our aim is to remove one of those barriers and send a message that we’re interested in getting to know the person applying for the job first and begin our conversation there.”

The council’s human resources committee recommended the council should become a ‘ban the box’ employer in autumn 2016 and the change will mean that anyone with an unspent conviction will not be asked about their past at the beginning of the recruitment process.

Only successful candidates will be asked about previous convictions, but the council retains the right to withdraw a job offer in the event it is appropriate to do so.

Kye Dudd says the step will also benefit employers

Speaking at an Employer Champions Network event hosted by Business in the Community, Kye Dudd, a cabinet member and chair of the council’s human resources committee, said: “Almost 70 percent of sentences handed down by the courts are fines, but they generate a record that most employers ask applicants to disclose when applying for a job.

“We’re taking this step because we want to be an employer that encourages and provides opportunities for people from all backgrounds.

“There’s also a benefit for us in that we’re unblocking a barrier that will ensure we’re making the most of Bristol’s deep talent pool.

“We want to show others that this approach does not open the organisation to greater risk. Instead, it increases an employer’s ability to recruit the right person for the right job whilst still ensuring the right and proper checks are in place.”

Ban the Box is an international campaign that originated in the USA and is led in the UK by Business in the Community, the Prince’s Responsible Business Network.

Cath Sermon, employment director of Business in the Community, said: “Bristol City Council has taken a huge step towards reducing reoffending in Bristol through its inclusive recruitment practices.

“We’d now like to see all local authorities ban the box.”

Read more: While Bristol’s economy booms, the gap between rich and poor widens