Praise Where It's Due...

...something I never thought I'd say about Basildon Council!

Basildon Council has rejected a “ridiculous” language guide which calls for local authorities to not to call parents “mother” or “father” but “birthing parent”.

Hurrah!  

The 18-long page guide, which was sent to councils across the country by the Local Government Association (LGA) this week, urges councils to avoid terms such as “disabled”, “second generation”, “economic migrant”, and “homeless,” according to a report in The Sun. The Inclusive Language Guide aims to help councils identify and use language which demonstrates "equality, diversity, and inclusion".

The mayor was pretty forthright: 

Basildon councillor Luke Mackenzie labelled the guide “ridiculous” as he confirmed the authority would be ignoring its suggestions.

The Basildon mayor said: “It’s absurd to suggest the words mother and father can be offensive. Those are identities that most people identify with, and I think we need to stand up for traditional family values.

He added: “The LGA, which is taxpayer funded, has bigger and more important things to be focused on, particularly council budgets, energy bills, and such.

“Their time would be better spent on actual meaningful policy to help councils meet those challenges.”

Well, quite! If only other councils had as much gumption.  

Bosses at Southend Council shied away from declaring if they will follow the guidelines, but councillor Martin Terry, responsible for public protection, says it is a good thing to use “diverse and non-offensive” language.

Why?