Councils double spending on equality, diversity and inclusion roles

Councils have almost doubled its spending on equality, diversity and inclusion roles in the space of two years, it has been reported

Local authorities spent almost £23 million in 2022/23 compared to just over £12 million in 2020/21, according to new figures compiled by the Taxpayers’ Alliance.

It comes as the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt urged councils to cut “discredited” diversity and equality programmes to save money ahead of his Budget last Wednesday.

Eight English councils have effectively declared bankruptcy since 2018 with many more facing economic strain.

In Nottingham, people will be charged for public toilets and garden bin collections under plans to plug a £50 million black hole at a cash-strapped Labour council. While in Birmingham, street lighting is to be dimmed and bin collections will be made fortnightly as council tax soars by 21 per cent.

But, despite increasing financial pressures, nearly 200 councils across the UK have spent money on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles since 2020, according to the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

The campaign group sent freedom of information requests to all 383 councils in the UK for details on the number of EDI roles created.

Examples include cash-strapped Birmingham City Council hiring an Assistant Director Community Services and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion on an average salary of £103,165 in 2022.

Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire, also Labour run, hired a Staying Well Team Manager (Agency) - said to be one of 40 “wellbeing” roles recruited across 10 councils over a three-year period at a cost of at least £1,149,441.

‘Woke spending’

Reacting to the figures by the Taxpayers’ Alliance, Conservative MPs called for cuts to “woke spending” on diversity and equality schemes.

Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Daily Mail: “It shows why councils do not deserve extra funding from central government. Too many are wasteful and badly run and will only be brought to order by tightening finances.”

While Nick Fletcher, Conservative MP for Don Valley, added: “Enough of this ridiculous woke spending that actually creates division. We absolutely must find a way to get rid of this wasteful and divisive resource allocation from right across our public sector.”

Joanna Marchong, from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, told the newspaper the public would be “astonished” with the money spent by councils on filling EDI roles.

In a statement provided to the Daily Mail, the Local Government Association, which represents 315 of the 317 councils in England, said: “Councils have a legal duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

“While councils continue to innovate and transform their services to meet the needs of their communities, it is unsustainable to expect them to keep doing more for less in the face of unprecedented cost and demand pressures.”