Reform to cut council's Pride funding, Grimes says

The first Durham Pride took place in 2014 and has grown in popularity over the years

Reform leaders have cut council funding for an area's Pride event next year.

Darren Grimes, Durham County Council's deputy leader, criticised the annual celebration of the LGBT+ community and said the local authority would instead divert funding to key services.

Thousands of people attended this year's festival, held in Durham City across two days in May, which saw up to £12,500 invested by the council as part of work to support the wider offer in the region following its unsuccessful City of Culture bid.

Durham Miners' Association (DMA) said Reform had underestimated the level of resolve among supporters of the event.

Grimes posted on social media platform X that Durham Pride "won't be getting a single penny from this council next year", arguing the event had "stopped being a celebration of gay rights a long time ago".

He said it had "morphed into a travelling billboard for gender ideology and political activism that many in the gay community - myself included - want no part of".

While adding the event "can and will go ahead safely", he wrote: "Durham County Council isn't an ATM for contested causes.

"Our residents deserve bins emptied, roads fixed, and services funded - not more council-sponsored politics in fancy dress."

Darren Grimes says money will instead be used to cover the cost of services such as bin collections

County councillors have historically supported the event financially through their budgets, but it is understood that was not possible this year due to the timing of elections, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Grimes added: "If Labour or the Lib Dems want to raid their members' budgets to fund political street theatre, that's on them - Reform will spend ours on the services everyone relies on."

'Promoting division'

Durham Pride has teamed up with the DMA and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to fundraise for future events.

DMA chairman Stephen Guy called for the trade union movement "to ramp up support for Durham Pride, which has been a target for closure since Reform was elected in County Durham".

He said: "Reform councillors across County Durham have underestimated the resolve of the LGBT+ community and the support of allies across the trade union movement."

Dave Pike, regional secretary for the TUC North East, Yorkshire & Humber, accused Reform of "promoting division" and said he was "proud to stand alongside the LGBT+ community in Durham, and the Miners' Association, for unity and for a society that respects people regardless of our differences".

A fundraising event will be held at Redhill's, Durham Miners' Hall, on 5 September.

Reform leaders sparked a backlash in May after taking down an LGBT+ Pride flag at Durham County Hall shortly after taking control of the council.