Reform-led council pulls Pride funds
Gateshead CouncilA newly-elected Reform UK council has stopped flying the Pride flag outside its civic centre and said it will pull funding for future Pride events.
Gateshead Council's leader Nick Allan said he had "no problem" with anyone supporting Pride but it was "not a matter for this administration or council". Previously the council had given about £12,500 to the event.
The move comes after Sunderland's new Reform leadership recently promised it would "never" fly the Pride flag.
Peter Darrant, CEO of OUT North East, which organises LGBT+ events in the region, said the decision had been made "without any real understanding of the benefits" Pride brought to the community.
Allan said: "We will not actively support, fund, or promote socio-political radical action or pressure groups, no matter where they sit on the political spectrum.
"We as a group have no compunction, no problem, with any individual supporting Pride, but the finance of Pride and the celebration of Pride is not a matter for this administration or council, it is a matter for those groups alone."
Gateshead CouncilOpposition Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Green councillors wore Pride colours and decorated their benches at the council meeting with rainbow flags in protest, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Pride events are set to run across Gateshead between 15 and 30 June and the charity said it had already received council funding for this year.
Darrant said Gateshead had previously been a strong supporter of the LGBT+ community.
"Pride is not just about celebrating – it plays an important role in fostering understanding and tolerance as well as educating people," he said.
"The regrettable situation is these decisions are being made without any real understanding of the benefits to the community and the local economy Pride brings."
Shaun Edge, Labour councillor for Crawcrook and Greenside, told colleagues he was now "too scared" to walk into a pub holding his husband's hand and Reform's decision would leave the town's LGBTQ+ community feeling "on their own".
"We need to be aware that Pride is not just a socio-political group, it is a group of people in this community," he said.
"The generations before me had to [fight] and I thought I was going to be fine, but I am going to have to fight myself to try and be heard and lead a life like the rest of my heterosexual compatriots across the room."
