AN ‘ESSENTIAL’ anti-discrimination service in Warwickshire is at risk.
Warwickshire County Council has proposed to end its contract with the Equality and Inclusion Partnership (EquIP), the county’s pan-equalities and anti-hate-crime partnership charity.
The council’s Reform UK administration says commissioning and funding the charity – which supports people facing discrimination, promotes inclusion and community cohesion, and helps tackle hate incidents – is ‘not a priority for the council’.
A 16-week consultation will consider whether to terminate the contract with EquIP, which is worth £135,000 a year – less than three pence in every hundred pounds the council spends.
The council has acknowledged ending the contract would mean ‘reduced specialist expertise’, reduced ‘capacity to support community safety and cohesion’, damage to voluntary-sector trust, and ‘foreseeable equalities impacts’ on vulnerable groups.
The Liberal Democrat opposition group is urging residents to defend the charity in the upcoming consultation.
Group leader Coun Sarah Boad said: “Our group stands with disabled residents, with our LGBTQ+ community, with vulnerable people impacted by the cost-of-living, with ethnic minority families, with older people living alone, and with those in temporary or insecure housing.
“They are our neighbours and our constituents, and they deserve a council that has their back.”
She described Reform’s proposal as a political decision rather than a financial one – ‘exactly the wrong judgement to make’ when Warwickshire Police recorded 897 hate-crime offences in the year ending March 2025.
She added: “I urge every resident who has ever experienced discrimination or hardship to take part when the consultation opens in June.
“Tell the council what EQuIP means to you. Tell them what an independent reporting route, 20 years of trust with our communities, and a single county-wide partner across every protected characteristic is worth.
“The Reform administration has set out the bar for what counts as a priority, so let’s give them the answer.”
Labour councillors said the cut would ‘cause real harm’.
WCC Labour group leader Coun Sarah Feeney said: “We are deeply concerned that Reform has chosen to invest time and money to make a case for cutting such an important service.
“There is a strong case for investing in early intervention and inclusion work that helps prevent discrimination, reduce tensions and support stronger communities. It is essential to building a fairer and safer Warwickshire.”
Rugby Borough Council’s Labour leader Coun Louise Robinson said the proposal was a false economy.
She said: “Any short-term savings are likely to be cancelled out by consultation costs, legal work and the wider consequences of cutting preventative support.
“If Reform is genuinely looking to save money, they could save nearly £200,000 by ending their contracts with political advisers.”
The Reform group did not respond to a request for comment.
A WCC spokesperson said a consultation was due to be launched in mid-June. Visit https://ask.warwickshire.gov.uk for updates.
