Councillors have questioned how Staffordshire County Council’s proposed new library display policy will affect events including Black History Month, Pride and Holocaust Memorial Day.
What’s new: Staffordshire County Council is considering a new policy governing displays, events and activities at its county-managed libraries.
Why it matters: Councillors have questioned whether the policy would allow libraries to mark Black History Month, Pride Month and Holocaust Memorial Day.
The big picture: The policy follows controversy earlier this year over the stopping of library displays during Pride Month, which prompted a petition signed by thousands of people.
This article is based on reporting from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a BBC funded initiative set up to strengthen reporting on local democratic issues. The Staffordshire Signal has taken part in the scheme since September 2026, which means we're able to draw on a selection of LDRS stories alongside our own.
A new policy put forward by Staffordshire County Council’s Reform UK administration has sparked questions on whether or not Black History Month and Pride can be marked at libraries.
Conservative councillor Richard Holland asked for a “yes or no” answer on potential displays for the October and June events, as well as Holocaust Memorial Day in January, when the Economy, Infrastructure and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the proposed new Libraries Displays, Events and Activities Policy at its meeting on Thursday (October 22).
But he did not receive a yes or no, despite repeating his queries. Committee chair and Reform UK member Councillor Andrew Clissett warned the committee on two occasions not to bring political elements into the discussion.
The draft policy was discussed four months after a row erupted over the stopping of displays during Pride Month. Thousands of people signed an online petition calling for the council to reverse any policy that prevented libraries and other council services from displaying materials that recognise and celebrate LGBTQ+ communities and other protected groups during awareness and heritage months.
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