Suella Braverman, Reform UK's equalities spokesman, has pledged that town halls controlled by the party will eliminate what she described as 'woke' diversity schemes, advocating instead for a return to 'meritocracy.' This initiative, starting with Staffordshire County Council, is intended to serve as a blueprint for over 30 other local authorities now under Reform UK's leadership.
Plans outlined on Friday at an event for Reform councillors detail the immediate scrapping of all Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training modules and the disbandment of staff support groups based on identity. Recruitment processes will be revised to prioritize merit over positive action measures, and symbolic gestures like awareness campaigns and branding will be discontinued.
Cllr Martin Murray, leader of Staffordshire County Council, stated in a new report that the council had strayed from a proper understanding of equality under the law, adopting instead what he termed the 'contested political ideology of EDI.' He asserted that this approach would end.
Braverman, who attended the launch event in Staffordshire, said the move would restore fairness and common sense. She noted widespread support for this policy among Reform councillors, who are seeking solutions to curb what they perceive as 'virtue signalling' and 'identity politics' in local government. "We want Reform to become the byword for meritocracy, the byword for common sense and Reform councils to be flagship councils for undoing a lot of the nonsense that was started under Labour and perpetuated by the Conservatives," she stated.
Braverman acknowledged that council staff might resist these changes but urged elected councillors to remain steadfast. "I'm sure there will be officers around the country who will try every trick in the book. And my message to those Reform council leaders today was: hold your nerve and don't give in," she advised.
She also noted that the extent of these changes is limited by the existing Equality Act, which she has previously vowed to repeal if Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister. "To a degree, there is a limitation as to what local government can do. But I think they can really set the standard for how people restore some common sense to local government," Braverman added.
While acknowledging the act's original intentions to combat discrimination against minorities, Braverman described the 2010 law as a 'disaster for fairness' that has been 'corrosive to the functioning of our public sector and much of our private sector.'