Council leader brands Black History Month 'racist'

The leader of the Reform-led St Helens Council has said the authority will "not be observing Black History Month", branding it "racist" and "divisive".

Marked every October in the UK, Black History Month aims to share, celebrate and help people understand the impact of black heritage and culture.

Council Leader George Woodward said if Britain was "to survive as a country then we can't keep subdividing people into groups based on characteristics like skin tone, religion and and ethnicity."

But Bisi Osundeko, who was the first black deputy mayor for St Helens, described the comments as "hate speech" and said they had "caused a lot of hurt" and were "a massive step backwards".

Since Reform UK came to power in St Helens Council in May, the party's local leaders have chosen not to engage in Pride month and has withdrawn funding for any Refugee Week activity.

In a policy announcement on Thursday, Woodward said it was "not appropriate for celebrations to centre on one skin tone".

"To be frank, it's racist and divisive," he said.

"We don't care if you're black. We don't care if you're Asian. The only thing that matters is if you love our country and respect British culture."

He added that marking the month would be a "poor use" of resources, adding: "Taxpayers' money shouldn't be contributing to subversive woke movements."

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside earlier, Woodward said: "I think it is pretty much the definition of racism to split people up and prioritise certain groups based on protected characteristics.

"Why are we celebrating just one race over another?"

But Osundeko, who was born in Lagos and became the first person of African heritage to be elected to St Helens council, said "celebrating black history and the contributions of black people does not alienate other races".

The former deputy mayor told the BBC Woodward's comments had "caused a lot of hurt", adding that it felt like a "massive step backwards for St Helens".

"It's almost like your heritage is worth nothing to them," she said.

"If you think about all the contributions of black people historically to St Helens as a town - we have a lot of doctors from black backgrounds, a lot of carers, a lot of nurses, a lot of business owners.

"We cannot be invisible, it's almost as though all our contributions do not matter.

"That's the thing about the announcement by the leader of the council. I don't see this as a policy update or announcement.

"I see this as hate speech."

Osundeko added: "I cannot understand how somebody who is in a position of leadership, who should be a role model to young people, will make statements that can cause a lot of harm, division and hurt."

David Baines, Labour MP for St Helens North, said it was "nonsense to say that minority groups can't celebrate their own identity".

He said Reform's announcement showed "we need more education, not less".

"I don't know what he's afraid of in the libraries and some schools promoting Black History Month ... the more we understand our shared history and communities, the better," he said.

Baines added that Woodward should "get on with the job of running essential services and bringing our communities together, not trying to tear us apart."

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