Protestors to rally in Warwick against plans to cut funding for equalities service
Warwickshire Pride leads protest ahead of council consultation decision
Last updated 20th May 2026
Protestors will gather at Warwickshire County Council’s headquarters on Friday to rail against plans to axe funding for an equalities service.
Warwickshire Pride, the county’s primary LGBT+ organisation, is leading what is expected to be a colourful stand against plans to stop funding Warwickshire’s Equality & Inclusion Partnership (EQuIP) by making their feelings known and dishing out Pride flags ahead of the council’s first step towards the cut.
Portfolio holder for customer and localities Councillor Mike Bannister (Reform UK, Nuneaton Abbey) is holding a public-facing meeting to sign off the start of a consultation on the plans with at least two other county councillors known to have asked to address him on the matter.
The council’s stance – and that of Cllr Bannister – is that no decision will be taken before feedback from an eight-week consultation is gathered, assessed and considered.
However, Warwickshire Pride says that people “from across the equalities spectrum and councillors from other political parties” will be joining their cohort outside Shire Hall, Warwick, at 11.30am on Friday to voice their dismay before taking their seats in the meeting that begins at noon.
Formerly known as the Warwickshire Race Equality Partnership, EQuIP’s scope was broadened in 2017 to provide discrimination and hate crime support, equalities training and guidance and aid engagement and community cohesion through services that include support to community groups, faith groups, businesses, schools and public sector organisations.
It is a charity that benefits from £135,000 per year from Warwickshire County Council, funding that makes up more than 60 per cent of its annual income.
Although the council funding is in place until March 2027, the contract contains a clause that allows it to be withdrawn with three months’ notice.
Warwickshire Pride’s statement advocates for EQuIP’s “great work across the whole equalities spectrum”, describing the service as “vital”.
Equalities, diversity and inclusion initiatives have been a hot topic since Reform UK took power last year with leader Councillor George Finch (Bedworth Central) quick to tell colleagues after he won a vote to take office that he would be “looking at cutting the net zero agenda, DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion), things like that”.
Encouraging people to “attend if you are able to”, the statement describes “an emergency” that requires “community power”.
“We will have pride flags to hand to anyone who wants to wave one,” it adds.
“Now is the time for direct action.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week, Cllr Bannister indicated he would be saving the bulk of his remarks for the meeting itself and stressed the importance of the consultation results.
“We are going out to full consultation. Quite rightly, that is something we want to view the results of before making any decision,” he said.
If he does give the consultation process the green light, the feedback will be reported to the entire cabinet – the Reform UK panel of councillors in charge of major service areas – to inform its decision on whether to cease the funding which the council’s reports says “is expected to be made before the end of 2026”.
A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council said: “A proposal to consult on the future of arrangements for the externally commissioned equalities provision is due to be considered by the Portfolio Holder on Friday 22 May. The proposal reflects the financial pressures facing the Council and the need to identify savings ahead of the next Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2027/2028.
In this context, commissioning and funding an external equalities provision is not considered a priority for the Council at this time. No decision has been made at this stage. Should consultation be approved, any feedback received would be carefully considered alongside all relevant information before any further decisions are taken.”