St Helens Council leader George Woodward has reversed his earlier comments suggesting it was 'jury's out' on whether the authority would observe Holocaust Memorial Day. In a statement released after a backlash, he confirmed the borough will continue to mark the occasion.
Cllr Woodward, who led Reform UK to victory in May's local elections, made the initial remarks during an interview with BBC Radio Merseyside. He was asked about the council's plans for Holocaust Memorial Day following the announcement that Black History Month events would be scrapped.
Controversial decisions since taking office
Since taking power, Cllr Woodward and his colleagues have made several controversial decisions. The council withdrew support and funding for planned Refugee Week events in June, followed by a withdrawal of support for LGBT Pride celebrations in the same month.
Last week, Cllr Woodward announced the council would no longer observe Black History Month, which runs each October in the UK. Announcing the change, he said: "We don't care if you're black. We don't care if you're Asian."
He added: "The only thing that matters is if you love our country and respect British culture. Moreover, it's not appropriate for celebrations to centre on one skin tone. To be frank, it's racist and divisive."
Backlash from local MP
The move prompted criticism from St Helens Labour MP David Baines, who told the ECHO: "Reform are a party increasingly obsessed with identity politics and stoking division, so perhaps we shouldn't really be surprised that Reform councillors in St Helens are so against the teaching of black history."
He added: "Calling it a 'subversive woke movement' tells you everything you need to know about Cllr Woodward and his twisted world view. Since becoming Leader he has spent a worrying amount of time attacking minorities."
Holocaust Memorial Day U-turn
Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Cllr Woodward was asked whether the council would support Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place each January and marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. He responded: "Jury's out on that, still to review that and make a decision on that. We will come to that when we get there in January."
He added: "On the whole we said broadly we won't be doing these sorts of celebrations. On the whole we are ok with Christian calendar events, which are unifying and where everyone can come together."
Following a huge response to those comments, Cllr Woodward took to social media to confirm the council will mark the occasion, blaming a 'gotcha' attempt by the media for 'catching him off guard.' In a statement, he said he hadn't had the chance to check with council officers whether the event had previously been observed.
He said: "Having now checked and confirmed that this important day has indeed been marked by the council in the past, I can confirm that St Helens Borough will absolutely be continuing to observe Holocaust Memorial Day, in conjunction with our brilliant schools and library service."
He added: "Holocaust Memorial Day is an important event to mark one of the darkest times of the twentieth century and is absolutely crucial to observe. I look forward to giving my respects this January."
