Wales business and council leaders 'lack diversity'

Major decisions are being taken which are not reflective of Wales' diversity, an Equality and Human Rights Commission report has said.

It looked at politics, local government and the private sector to assess whether those in charge were representative of all those who live in Wales.

It found just 6% of chief executives at Wales' top 100 businesses were women.

Disabled people made up only 3.7% of the public appointments in 2015-16.

The report, coinciding with International Women's Day, found 12% of chief and deputy chief constables in Welsh police forces were women, 14% of council chief executives and 26% of councillors.

Some progress

The report showed some areas of improvement, including in the health sector where the percentage of women chief executives has jumped from 10% to 60% since 2014.

In 2013, 42% of disabled people were employed compared to 71% of the wider Welsh population.

In 2015, the employment rate for non-disabled people rose by 8%, but the picture for disabled people remained the same, meaning the gap had widened.

June Milligan, Commissioner for Wales, Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: "Now more than ever, we all need to be confident that the people who make the major decisions that affect our lives represent all of Wales.

"Overall, we report that while there has been some progress, women are still significantly under-represented at the most senior levels in most sectors in Wales."