Reform plan to scrap 'woke' diversity schemes

A council's Reform UK leadership has announced it intends to scrap "woke" equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) policies and disband its identity-based staff groups.

The party said its plans for Staffordshire County Council would be a blueprint for other authorities it controls across the country.

"During the local elections, Reform UK gave a clear pledge to the British people that we would rip out the toxic EDI culture from every council we control," Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said.

A spokesperson for the council said the proposals were not yet a formal council policy, and had not been through its formal governance processes.

"No decisions around the day-to-day working practices of the council have been made," they said.

"Council officers are now working to review the position paper and how it can be developed into a formal council policy whilst meeting what is required of the council by law.

"Any draft policy documents will be taken to a formal meeting of the council's cabinet for discussion and approval before they can be officially adopted."

Reform did not set out specific details of the changes it would make but said it would close every "non-statutory identity-based staff network", a claim one academic described as "virtue signalling".

Existing staff groups at the council include its Black and Brown Heritage Network, Early Careers Network, Parent Network and Neurodiversity Forum.

There is also The Proud Network for LGBT employees and The Lived Experience Network for those with experience of social care.

Reform insisted the changes would be compliant with laws designed to ensure equality for people with protected characteristics such as gender and belief.

Dr Philip Catney, a senior lecturer in politics at Keele University, said it was not yet clear what such changes would mean.

"There's a lot of stuff in here which is virtue signalling certain aspects of what they're trying to do, but it doesn't actually say what they're going to do," he said.

"We need to see the details, because although it sounds like they're doing something big we'll only know that when they've started to issue the guidance."

He said Reform's move represented an importing of a Trump-style, American approach to equality, diversity and inclusion policies.

Earlier this month, the council announced it would no longer feature LGBTQ+ Pride displays in its libraries.

Reform won control of the authority at the May 2025 local elections, taking over from the Conservatives.

"When we stood for election in Staffordshire, we promised that we would do away with nonsense EDI and ensure that everyone is treated and respected equally, under British law and without fear or favour," said council leader Martin Murray.

Deputy leader Hayley Coles said everyone who came into contact with the council was "an individual of equal worth and standing, not a representative of a group or a proxy for a cause," and said that principle had "been eroded step by step, over a matter of decades".

She said polices had sorted people into groups, weighing "identity before evidence".

Reform said it would replace EDI training with "legally grounded guidance and training" and that it would disband "every non-statutory identity-based staff network".

They added recruitment would be based on merit, and it would end all EDI branding, symbolism, and awareness campaigns.

Council officers would now be tasked with designing a new equality policy that adheres to the party's vision, they added.

The BBC has approached the county council for more details about how the new policy might be implemented.

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