Latest news with #ReformCouncil
Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Reform council bans trans books from children's section of libraries
A Reform council has banned transgender-related books from children's sections of council libraries 'in a victory for common sense in Kent'. Linden Kemkaran, the leader of Kent county council, said the books would be removed immediately. Writing on social media, Kemkaran said: 'Telling children they're in the 'wrong body' is wrong and simply unacceptable.' Kemkaran posted a photo a book named The Autistic Trans Guide to Life as an example. The book appeared to have been put on temporary display for Pride month at Herne Bay Library. A number of locals said on social media that the display was in the welcome area of the library, not the children's section. The ban was overseen by Paul Webb, a Reform councillor. In a video, he said: 'I was contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans ideological material and books in the children's section of one of our libraries. • Here in Kent they want to stop the boats. Did voting Reform help? 'I've today issued an instruction for all of it to be removed from the children's section of any our our libraries. They do not belong there, our children to do not need to be told they were born in the wrong bodies. From today, this will stop.' Reform won outright control of Kent county council at the local elections in May. Kemkaran has previously refused to fly a rainbow flag for Pride month, and said she saw having a Ukrainian flag in the council chamber as a 'distraction'. The council has also launched a 'Doge' cost-cutting campaign inspired by Elon Musk, in which Reform's former chairman, Zia Yusuf, has taken a personal interest. Antony Hook, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council opposition, said it was 'bizarre' that Reform had announced the move on social media rather than at a council meeting. He said he had asked the head of Kent's libraries for a list of which books would be removed. Tristan Osborne, the Labour MP for Chatham & Aylesford, said the decision was 'unedifying baiting of the LGBT community'. Defending the decision, Webb told the BBC: 'In our society, children are quite rightly and properly protected from items and actions that could cause them harm — for example alcohol, cigarettes and gambling. 'My fellow Reform members and I believe that our young people should be protected from exposure to potentially harmful ideologies and beliefs such as those held by the trans lobbyists. 'As far as impact assessments are concerned, I would have thought that question should have been asked before these books were placed in the children's section to begin with.' Kent county council runs 99 community libraries and five mobile library vans. It is not yet clear whether the ban will cover Medway council, with which the council runs some joint agencies.
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Reform council removes trans books from children's section at libraries
A Reform council has removed all transgender-related books from the children's section of its libraries, its leader has announced. Paul Webb, Reform's cabinet member who oversees libraries, said he had made the decision after a 'distressed' member of the public approached him with concerns about trans ideology books in the children's section of a library. Linden Kemkaran, Reform's leader of Kent county council, hailed the decision as a 'victory for common sense'. It is unknown how many books are to be removed or how the council will classify transgender-related books. The authority runs 99 community libraries and five mobile library vans. Reform won the council from the Conservatives, who had controlled it since 1997, as part of a sweep of victories at the local elections in May. In a video posted on X, Mr Webb said: 'I was recently contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans-ideological material in the children's section of one of our libraries. I have looked into this and this was the case. 'I've today issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children's section of any of our libraries. 'They do not belong in the children's sections of our libraries. Our children do not need to be told they were born in the wrong bodies. So, from today (July 2) this will stop.' According to a post by Ms Kemkaran on X, the books that appear to be on the removal list include: The Autistic Trans Guide to Life, written by two leading autistic trans activists; How to be a Girl: A Mother's Memoir of Raising her Transgender Daughter and This Arab is Queer, a collection of memoir and personal stories by Arab LGBTQ+ writers. She added: 'Telling children they're in the 'wrong body' is wrong and simply unacceptable.' The decision was criticised by Antony Hook, the Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, who said: 'It is bizarre that the leader of the council is making announcements on social media, rather than to the council.' Mr Hook told BBC News he had written to the head of Kent library services to ask for an update on what books were to be removed. The move comes as Reform's newly elected council leaders continue their push for the removal of all flags that are not the Union flag or that of the local area. Last month, Monica Fogarty, the chief executive of Warwickshire county council, defied an order from the council's newly elected leader to take down a Pride flag. Zia Yusuf, the head of Reform's department of government efficiency, claimed the refusal showed that 'a coup d'etat is under way in Britain'.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform council brings in 'British values' flag rules in Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Council's new Reform leadership has scrapped the authority's flag flying policy in its first cabinet move, approved at a meeting on Thursday, means a previously agreed schedule of flags to be displayed outside County Hall in Glenfield has been list included flags to mark events celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month and Windrush Reform council leader Dan Harrison said the changes to flag-flying protocols were "to celebrate British values that unite us all". Some staff groups at the council, where Reform formed a minority administration following May's local elections, raised concerns about the described the eight-minute cabinet meeting, which had only the flag-flying policy on the agenda, as "historic".He said: "People will rightly ask why are we changing this protocol?"It's important to understand the importance of recognition of national identity, our heritage and culture and celebrate British values [which] is what unites us all."This new protocol allows us to do all this." Under new rules, Harrison said the Union flag and the county council's own flag would fly permanently on two of the three flagpoles outside County St George's flag would fly from the third pole, he said, unless it was replaced with the county Lord Lieutenant's flag when they were in the said a fourth flagpole in County Hall's quadrangle could be used to mark events such as Armed Forces Day, Commonwealth Day and Armistice on flying all other flags are be delegated to council chief executive John Sinnott after discussion with the leader. In a joint letter, representatives of LGBTQ+, disabled and BAME staff said they had not been properly consulted on the change."We feel that the lack of time between our understanding of this event, and the meeting taking place, has hampered our ability to communicate and promote the voices of those in our staff networks and beyond," they said they represented more than 400 council staff and asked the administration to consider the impact of changes on employee letter added: "We would recommend the cabinet members reflect on the purpose of flying flags as a local authority. "It is an example of the Public Sector Equality Duty, our legal requirement to foster good relations between people who share protected characteristics and those who don't."Opposition Conservative group leader Deborah Taylor called the meeting "very strange" and said "staffing groups support a number of staff here and should be listened to". She added: "Staff that are committed to the Leicestershire residents and Leicestershire County Council have not had their voice heard and I think that's terrible."Harrison said he would meet staff group representatives to discuss the new protocol.
