Staff & Board Demographics
It’s very important to us that our Board and Staff are representative of the communities where we work, and the society that we live in. We know that there is more to do to increase representation of younger people, people who have a disability and people who are minority ethnic.
Annually, Board set workforce targets to increase representation underrepresented groups. Current targets are 13.5% for staff with a disability and 8% for ethnically diverse staff.
Inclusive Recruitment
We take positive action to help ensure that people from underrepresented groups are given equal opportunities.
We intend to increase the number of staff who describe themselves as ethnically diverse and the number of staff who have a disability.
North Star is a member of the Disability Confident scheme. This means that we guarantee an interview for any person declaring a disability who meets the essential job criteria.
We also guarantee an interview for any person from an ethnic minority background who meets the essential job criteria.
Change starts at the top
In 2025, North Star recruited four new board trainees to participate in a two-year programme, in conjunction with Housing Diversity Network, which is due to finish in 2027. Pen portraits of all four trainees can be found here: Information about our Board - North Star Housing Group
The programme was originally launched in 2021 by North Star in coalition with Beyond Housing, Gentoo, Thirteen Group, and the Housing Diversity Network (HDN) to develop future Board members and increase diversity at Board level. Over the initial two-year programme, twelve trainees received comprehensive training, shadowed local Boards, and were supported by mentors. The experience and skills gained helped prepare them to become the Board Members of the future. As part of that coalition, North Star took four trainees, all women, three of whom were from ethnically diverse backgrounds all who graduated successfully.
Feedback from the programme highlighted that:
- “Trainees felt welcomed by the Board and believe their views were valued during meetings.”
- “North Star have been accommodating to the needs of trainees who were often juggling conflicting priorities, including new babies, job changes, house moves, supporting family members, and demanding full-time jobs.”
- “North Star was awarded the BME Award for diversity and inclusion for their contribution to this unique programme.”
Allyship
We have worked hard to develop healthy, mutually beneficial relationships with a number of organisations, including:
- LGBTQ+ organisations
- Business in the Community (BITC), as a signatory of its Race at Work Charter
- Curious Arts
- Durham Pride
- Housing Diversity Network (HDN)
- National Housing Federation- Members of the EDI national and regional groups
- Sponsor of the Taste of Africa Black History Youth awards (local event)
- Daisy Chain
Awards
It is great to win awards, but what we really value is the independent assessment of what we do. Awards help to promote us as an organisation that takes EDI seriously.
We have been nominated for several EDI awards because of our apprenticeship schemes and our approach to LGBTQ+ recruitment and allyship. We were honoured to win the following awards:
‘Creating LGBTQ Inclusion and Accessibility in the Workplace Award’ in the LGBTQ Alliance Awards
‘Apprenticeship Organisation of the Year’ for the Board Diversity Program at the Tees Valley BME Achievement Awards.
Championing Inclusion
Our memberships and accreditations show our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
