Devon councillor Michael Fife Cook has been sanctioned following a dispute over an LGBT Young Person's Day event held in October 2025 at Exeter Library. The event, organized by Out There and Exeter Library, led to an investigation by Libraries Unlimited, the charity managing Devon's libraries for the council.
Complaints arose concerning the presence of sex education objects, including anatomical models of genitalia, at the event described as "family-friendly." The matter was subsequently discussed at a full council meeting, where the council leader, Liberal Democrat Julian Brazil, stated that "lessons have been learned."
Two council officers filed code of conduct complaints related to an email sent by Fife Cook to other Reform councillors. In the email, Fife Cook expressed concerns about the council's handling of the issue, stating, "Our council officers can't be trusted in safeguarding children... what consenting adults do with each other in the privacy of their own homes is their concern, but any normal person would look at what was on show at this event and would believe it was not appropriate for young children."
He further wrote, "To me this makes us all complicit in promoting and encouraging sexualisation of children. To allow future events like this in property owned by the public will be rightly deemed as reprehensible and we will all be at fault."
Fife Cook, who leads the Reform UK group at Devon County Council, maintained that it was important to raise these concerns.