Reform mayor Andrea Jenkyns vows to sack council’s variety officers – besides there aren’t any | EUROtoday

Andrea Jenkyns’ vow to eliminate council variety officers as certainly one of her first acts as the brand new Reform mayor for Lincolnshire has fallen flat after it emerged that the county council doesn’t make use of any.

Nigel Farage and Dame Andrea put eliminating variety, fairness and inclusion (DEI) officers on the high of their agenda as they impose their very own model of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting Doge on the county.

They doubled down on the promise at a rally in Kent final evening the place Ms Jenkyns and Mr Farage had been amongst a line of main audio system as a part of Reform’s “war on woke”.

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Ms Jenkyns stated: “We are going to have a Lincolnshire Doge. We are going to ensure that we get rid of diversity officers because amazingly Lincolnshire County Council is now Reform controlled. That is a historic moment.”

However, The Independent has seen a freedom of data reply from Lincolnshire County Council, the place Reform now has a majority, stating: “Lincolnshire County Council does not employ any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officers.”

The council had been requested what number of DEI officers it employed and what their salaries had been. The reply was issued in March simply earlier than the native election marketing campaign started within the county.

But in response, Ms Jenkyns advised The Independent that one other one of many three councils below her remit because the mixed authority within the county, North Lincolnshire Council, does have variety officers.

She stated: “I have been told by their employees that the leadership pressure staff to wear rainbow lanyards too. They also have diversity officers, named as ‘outreach officers’.”

Ms Jenkyns claimed that the county council “has all the awful [DEI] training though”.

Sharing paperwork on the breakdown of a £15,190 value for variety coaching between 2021 and 2023, she added: “Not a lot but still can save a bit of money.”

The Tories, who nonetheless really feel bruised after shedding badly in Lincolnshire and elsewhere, linked the failure to know there have been no DEI officers within the county with claims they made that Ms Jenkyns lives in Leeds.

A Tory supply stated: “Someone who lives in Lincolnshire would know that there aren’t any DEI roles going in Lincolnshire Council.

“Catchy slogans aren’t always the answer to complex problems. It the latest proof that Reform is a one-man band without the answers needed to tackle the problems facing hardworking families across Britain.”

However, union officers have issued warnings in regards to the plans by Reform to sack DEI and internet zero officers within the different councils they took management of.

DEI workers exist in Kent, Durham, Staffordshire, West Northamptonshire, North Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire.

Unison normal secretary Christina McAnea stated: “This is not the US. Thankfully workers in the UK have laws to protect them from bad employers. And soon employees will get even more protection from unscrupulous bosses when the government’s new employment rights come in.

“Reform has consistently voted against these new measures that will make work more secure. So much for being on the side of ordinary working people.

“Rather than attacking hard-working council staff, Mr Farage should be focusing on his own job representing the people of Clacton. But judging by his voting and speaking record in the House of Commons, he’d clearly rather be making big bucks elsewhere.”

She added: “Unions are there to ensure no one can play fast and loose with the law. Any staff working for councils now controlled by Reform, and who aren’t yet members, should sign up so they can be protected too.

“Nigel Farage and his party’s new councillors have much to learn about local government. They’ll quickly discover there’s nothing left to cut and many authorities are balancing on the edge of the financial precipice.”

Ms McAnea was responding to Mr Farage telling DEI officers or these engaged on local weather change by way of Sky News: “I think you all better really be seeking alternative careers, very, very quick.”