Council leader ends support for town's Pride events

The leader of a local authority has said no council officer time will be spent on a town's Pride events going forward.

Northampton Pride is now in its ninth year, and took place on Saturday 11 July in the town's market square.

The annual event featured live performances, community stalls and activities.

Reform UK Leader of West Northamptonshire Council, Mark Arnull, told a full council meeting that no funding had been given to the event by the authority this year - and no officer time would be spent on it either, going forward.

Arnull told the meeting that "certain events were politicised" and "hateful things were shown on garments" around the market square, although he did not elaborate on his comments.

He added: "We have a duty as stakeholders here to manage place and environment and do the best we can, so some of those scenes were quite disappointing.

"We will only do what's right for every resident in West Northamptonshire and not a small minority of people that want to turn something into a political funfair.

"So, in terms of Pride, this council will not be contributing in any way to Pride be it officers' time. It hasn't issued anything financially in the last year."

In a press release published by the council before the event took place, Charlie Hastie, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and communities, said: "Northampton Pride is a valued event for our community and provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to come together to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community.

"We are pleased to support this event alongside partners and look forward to another successful day."

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