REFORM UK councillors are calling for Cornwall Council to stop its mandatory EDI/DEI – equality, diversity and inclusion – policies in a bid to save money, among other reasons.

However, the local authority has responded that only four of its 5,800 employees are engaged in such work and they would keep their jobs even if the policies were dropped.

Following a national move by Reform to cut EDI roles at the councils it runs, a group of Reform councillors in Cornwall are now pushing for their council to discontinue EDI policies in preference for the Equality Act 2010. The group’s deputy leader at Cornwall Council, Cllr Roger Tarrant, has proposed a motion in favour of the move, which will come before a full meeting of the council next Tuesday (November 25).

It has been seconded by Cllr Jamie Hanlon with support from councillors Susanne Desmonde, Jack Yelland and Julie Cunningham, who are among the 23 Reform members of Cornwall Council. Reform is the largest opposition group at the council.

A supporting statement says: “We are all subject to the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010 which was enacted as an all-encompassing framework to replace existing discriminatory laws. This includes the Public Sector Equality Duty that Cornwall Council must follow.

“However, EDI/DEI policies in the UK are not a legal requirement and go far beyond the Equality Act remit. This means that so much of what is claimed to be a policy requirement is simply wrong. It is for this reason that so many institutions are rejecting the idea that a EDI/DEI policy is a good thing or a practical action. For example, on May 20, only seven months ago, the Barristers Bar Association representing 18,000 barristers, including Keir Starmer, abandoned its plans to introduce EDI/DEI policies within its membership.

“It is imperative that as a society we stamp out racism in all its forms and build a cohesive community. EDI often favours one ethnicity group over another. Currently, most organisations are moving away from and abandoning EDI/DEI, including the Bank of England, which in March 2025 cancelled its proposals to force 42,000 UK businesses to report EDI/DEI data.”

The Reform members believe stopping the policies will save Cornwall Council money. The motion states: “UK councils collectively spent £52-million over three years (Tax Payers Alliance 2024). Cornwall Council has not publicly disclosed the amount it spends on EDI initiatives.”

In a briefing note approved by Matt Barton, Cornwall Council’s service director for strategy and partnerships, the authority’s EDI team urges caution in any attempt to stop the council’s equality, diversity and inclusion policies, citing “legal and governance risks”.

Their response to the motion says: “The adoption of an EDI strategy enables Cornwall Council to fulfil the public sector equality duty on public authorities to consider or think about how their more detailed policies or decisions affect people who are protected under the Equality Act 2010.

“A key part of the council’s approach to promoting and improving EDI across Cornwall has been adopting locally protected characteristics – in addition to the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 – which place an emphasis on improving the experiences of other minority and/or disadvantaged groups in the Duchy.

“These locally protected characteristics include the Cornish (as a protected national minority) and people with Experience of Care as a child. Not having an EDI strategy and complementary policies – and restricting the council’s focus solely to the Equality Act 2010 – would inhibit efforts to improve EDI outcomes for these groups.”

Officers have also responded to the Reform councillors’ comment that the council has not publicly announced the amount it spends on EDI initiatives.

The briefing note adds: “Contrary to the assertion that Cornwall Council has not publicly disclosed the amount it spends on EDI initiatives, the council has received and responded to several Freedom of Information requests relating to the number of employees directly engaged in EDI policy development – which is currently four of the council’s circa 5,800 employees.

“In the absence of having an EDI Strategy and associated polices, those officers would still be required to ensure the council complies with Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty and other legal obligations which are often detailed and complex.”

The EDI team has recommended that the matter is referred to the Liberal Democrat / Independent cabinet for further consideration.