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Jenkyns finds council has no diversity officers to sack

The Independent

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May 04, 2025

Reform mayor for Lincolnshire had pledged to axe DEI staff

- DAVID MADDOX

Jenkyns finds council has no diversity officers to sack

Dame Andrea Jenkyns' vow to get rid of council diversity officers as one of her first acts as the new Reform mayor for Lincolnshire has fallen flat after it emerged that the county council doesn't employ any.

Dame Andrea and party leader Nigel Farage put axing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officers at the top of their agenda as they impose their own version of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) on the county.

They doubled down on the promise at a rally in Kent on Friday night where Ms Jenkyns and Mr Farage were among a line of leading speakers as part of Reform’s “war on woke”.

Ms Jenkyns said: “We are going to have a Lincolnshire Doge. We are going to ensure that we get rid of diversity officers because amazingly Lincolnshire County Council is now Reform controlled. That is a historic moment.”

However, The Independent has seen a freedom of information answer from Lincolnshire County Council, where Reform now has a majority, stating: “Lincolnshire County Council does not employ any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officers.”

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