Andrea Jenkyns’ vow to eliminate council diversity officers as one in all 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 range, equity and inclusion (DEI) officers on the prime 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 night time the place Dame Andrea and Mr Farage have been amongst a line of main audio system as a part of Reform’s “conflict on woke”.
Dame Andrea stated: “We’re going to have a Lincolnshire DOGE. We’re going to make sure that we eliminate range officers as a result of amazingly Lincolnshire County Council is now Reform managed. That could be a historic second.”
Nevertheless, The Impartial has seen a freedom of data reply from Lincolnshire County Council, the place Reform now has a majority, stating: “Lincolnshire County Council doesn’t make use of any range, fairness and inclusion (DEI) officers.”
The council had been requested what number of DEI officers it employed and what their salaries have been. The reply was issued in March 2025 simply earlier than the native election marketing campaign started within the county.
However in response Dame Andrea instructed The Impartial that one of many three councils below her remit because the mixed authority within the nation, North Lincolnshire Council, does have range officers.
She added that the county council gave DEI officers totally different names “resembling outreach officer”.
She went on: “They [the county council] have all of the terrible [DEI] coaching although.”
Sharing paperwork on the breakdown of a £15,190 price for range coaching between 2021 and 2023, she added: “Not loads however nonetheless can save a bit of cash.”
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 Dame Andrea lives in Leeds.
A Tory supply stated: “Somebody who lives in Lincolnshire would know that there aren’t any DEI roles entering into Lincolnshire council.
“Catchy slogans aren’t all the time the reply to advanced issues. It the most recent proof that Reform is a one-man band with out the solutions wanted to deal with the issues dealing with hardworking households throughout Britain.”
Nevertheless, union officers have issued warnings in regards to the plans by Reform to sack DEI and web zero officers within the 9 different councils they took management.
DEI staff exist in Kent, Durham, Staffordshire, North West Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire, North Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire.
Unison common secretary Christina McAnea stated: “This isn’t the US. Fortunately staff within the UK have legal guidelines to guard them from dangerous employers. And shortly staff will get much more safety from unscrupulous bosses when the federal government’s new employment rights are available.
“Reform has constantly voted in opposition to these new measures that may make work safer. A lot for being on the facet of bizarre working individuals.
“Relatively than attacking hard-working council employees, Mr Farage needs to be specializing in his personal job representing the individuals of Clacton. However judging by his voting and talking document within the Home of Commons, he’d clearly fairly be making large bucks elsewhere.”
She added: “Unions are there to make sure nobody can play quick and unfastened with the legislation. Any employees working for councils now managed by Reform, and who aren’t but members, ought to enroll to allow them to be protected too.
“Nigel Farage and his social gathering’s new councillors have a lot to study native authorities. They’ll rapidly uncover there’s nothing left to chop and lots of authorities are balancing on the sting of the monetary precipice.”
She was responding to Mr Farage telling DEI officers or these engaged on climate change through Sky Information: “I feel you all higher actually be searching for different careers, very very fast.”
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