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Unions have launched a campaign to defend the “freedom of libraries and librarians” from anti-LGBT+ political interference following a spate of clampdowns by Reform-run councils.
In recent months, Reform councillors in the Midlands counties of Staffordshire and Warwickshire have sought to reduce the visibility of LGBTQ+ books and other materials in local libraries.
In Staffordshire, library staff have reportedly been instructed not to celebrate Pride and to remove Pride-related displays, events and communications. A spokesperson for the council told this outlet a decision to “review and refocus the use of discretionary library display space” was made by the Reform Cabinet member for culture.
“Whilst the review takes place, all displays that do not promote the core library offer or wider council services have been paused or removed. This has included Pride displays but applies to all other discretionary displays too. No books or materials have been removed from library stock, and LGBTQ+ titles and resources remain available to borrow as part of the wider library offer,” the spokesperson said.
In Warwickshire, the Reform council leader has criticised librarians wearing LGBT+ Pride rainbow lanyards, and displays of books he claims promote “gender ideology”. He indicated that new policies for libraries and other public spaces are being developed.
It comes as a new report from the Trades Union Congress (TUC), ‘LGBT+ Workers – threats to workplace equality and community inclusion’, sets out the scale of political hostility to LGBT+ events on Reform-run councils – despite continued public support for diversity and LGBT+ rights.
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It finds strong public support for maintaining key workplace rights and equality protections. YouGov polling for the report, exclusively seen by Byline Times, suggests 77% of Brits support retaining provisions in the Employment Rights Act 2025 requiring employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment and introducing protections from third-party harassment, while 74% support retaining the Equality Act 2010 which enshrines LGBT+ rights in law.
“Support for these protections exceeded support for repeal across the wider public, including among Reform voters,” the TUC analysis notes.
In February 2026, Reform’s Deputy Leader and business spokesperson Richard Tice announced plans for a ‘Great Repeal Act’. If passed, t would repeal “key legislation that provides workers with fundamental protections,” the TUC says, including the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the Equality Act 2010.
The union body states: “If Reform were to enact their ‘Great Repeal Act’ it would remove a range of employment rights, including sick pay, bereavement leave, pregnancy protections and protections against discrimination at work. They could also allow the return of fire-and-rehire practices.
“These are not simply regulations; they are hard-won rights that help make work fairer, more secure and more equal.”
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Reform has pledged to introduce a “Women and Motherhood Protection Act” to replace some lost rights, but the details so far are sparse.
The majority of LGBT+ respondents (around 300) to the YouGov poll believed that repealing the Equality Act and Human Rights Act would negatively affect LGBT+ workers and lead to “increases in discrimination, bullying, harassment and exclusion at work, alongside wider impacts on mental health, confidence, physical health and work performance.”
The report notes that Reform-run councils such as Durham and Warwickshire were the first to take steps to “remove local authority support for LGBT+ communities,” and since then similar policies – such as removing funding for Pride events and banning Pride flags on council buildings – have subsequently been adopted across a widening range of Reform-controlled authorities.
They include Essex, Norfolk, Gateshead, Sunderland, Barnsley, Havering and St Helens, suggesting, in the union federation’s view, “a broader and increasingly coordinated approach to limiting LGBT+ visibility and inclusion.”
Book Bans
A new poll of UK adults for the TUC finds that the restrictions that Reform council leaders are putting on libraries are at odds with the public.
In response to a question that asked if respondents supported or opposed banning the promotion of Pride events in local public libraries, 54% opposed bans compared to 30% support (the remaining 16% said they do not know).
The TUC is calling on Reform politicians in Staffordshire and Warwickshire, the latest councils appearing to launch similar policies on this, to “recognise that they are out of step with public opinion and to keep libraries inclusive.”
More widely, among those that voted Reform in the 2024 General Election in Britain, 44% said the Equality Act should be kept, compared with 34% who said it should be repealed, while 21% said they did not know, the new YouGov polling shows. The figures are similar in the Midlands, the latest source of controversy over LGBT+ event bans from Reform.
The findings suggest that Reform UK’s proposed “Great Repeal Bill” that would remove protections secured through the Equality Act 2010 is out of step with national opinion and is not supported by the majority of people who voted Reform UK at the 2024 General Election.
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‘Put Pride Back’
The TUC has launched a petition calling on Councillors George Finch and Martin Murray, the respective leaders of Warwickshire and Staffordshire County Councils, to “leave librarians to decide how best to ensure these vital community services are inclusive and relevant for local people from all backgrounds.”
The petition states: “We believe that libraries should be inclusive spaces that help to educate, inform and entertain people of every age, gender, sexuality, background and political belief. They are here to help open minds, not close them.”
The TUC is inviting support for the petition from everyone who “believes that libraries should be inclusive places for all.”
Midlands TUC Secretary Stuart Richards said: “Our libraries are for everyone. And they should be free from political interference. But Reform politicians are restricting the freedoms of our libraries and librarians. And they are singling out the LGBT+ members of our local communities for attack.
“We’ve launched this petition to defend the freedom of our libraries. And it’s to show solidarity with our friends, neighbours and colleagues who are targeted by this attack on LGBT+ inclusion.”
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TUC Northern Secretary Dave Pike added: “Trade unions and the LGBT+ community have stood side by side for decades, united by the similarities in the challenges we face. The battle for a fairer, more equal society is a fight that trade unions and the LGBT+ community know well.
“This is important for LGBT+ workers who often experience bullying and harassment at work. As this study has shown, we can see how much a commitment from Local Authorities to stand with their LGBT+ residents matters. This is why we still need Pride – not only to celebrate, but to organise and demand better.”
Pike noted that Durham Pride went ahead this year, this time without the Reform council’s support, and was “bigger and better than ever.”
The TUC petition ‘Put Pride back in our libraries’ petition is here. The new report can be found here.
YouGov’s polling fieldwork was conducted between 15 and 16 July 2026, with a sample size of 2,317 UK adults. It was conducted online and weighted to be representative of the population.
Hayley Coles, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council told Byline Times: “We are committed to transforming our libraries into vibrant community hubs where people can learn, connect and get practical support.
“We are currently reviewing the use of our library display space and, as part of this, any display which doesn’t promote our core library offer or council services has been paused until the review and community impact assessments take place.
“A wide range of books and materials can still be loaned from us. These cover topics and authors of interest to the LGBTQ+ community and many others. No books or materials have been removed from the library.”
Warwickshire council and its leader were contacted for comment.
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