Row after motion to support LGBTQIA+ rejected

A row has broken out after a council rejected a motion to support the county's LGBTQIA+ community.

Wiltshire Council's councillor Helen Belcher, who transitioned several years ago, said rejecting the motion that would have ensured LGBTQIA+ people felt represented was "disgraceful".

However, some members of the public and councillors argued the proposals were divisive. Councillor Ed Rimmer said it was "pitting different groups against each other".

Councillors voted to support an amended motion which removed references to the LGBTQIA+ community and instead aimed to support all people equally.

The original motion, which was presented before a full council meeting at County Hall in Trowbridge on Tuesday, stated: "[It] has been introduced to clearly affirm that, under the new administration, Wiltshire Council remains fully supportive of our LGBTQIA+ community and the diverse nature of our population."

Councillor Belcher said changing the proposals to a "bland, everyone matters" motion was "disgraceful".

Councillor Belcher said the reasons for rejecting the motion were "absurd"

"One of the speeches started talking about how we're all the same, nobody's different, we're all human beings and my response to that was 'I don't get attacked because I'm a human being, I get attacked because I'm trans because some people don't think trans people like me should exist'.

"The idea that the council couldn't express its support for a section of our community who do face more battles than a lot of other people, more struggles, the idea that that would be somehow illegal would be absurd," councillor Belcher added.

Reform UK councillor Ed Rimmer said his party would not engage in "identity politics motions"

Reform UK councillor Ed Rimmer said his party would not engage in "identity politics motions" or "virtue signalling".

"While there is undoubtedly discrimination against people from different backgrounds, I fail to see how a motion from Wiltshire Council would make any difference to that anyway," he said.

Former council leader Richard Clewer said the motion "worried" him because of a need to "foster good relations between different groups".

He added the original motion could also be in breach of the Equalities Act.

After a long debate during the 12-hour meeting, 46 councillors voted for the amended motion, while 43 voted against it.

Correction 3 November: This article was amended after we wrongly described Richard Clewer, leader of the Conservative group, as council leader, a post he held until May.