South Cambridgeshire District Councillors have been accused of making “heterosexist” and “racist” comments, and one councillor has resigned after claiming that he did not discriminate against “wogs”.

A review of the council this month revealed “a clear perception amongst some stakeholders that some councillors’ attitudes and behaviours are racist and discriminatory”. The Council was also found by the Audit Commission to be failing to represent and cater for the service needs of its minority groups. The SCDC failed to attain Level 1 of the Commission for Local Government Standards for Equality.

At a training workshop held shortly after the report’s publication, Conservative Councillor Ted Pateman remarked “There are all different sorts of wogs here. I don’t differentiate between them, but treat them all as though they were English”.
Councillor Ian Nimmo-Smith told Varsity that he feels Pateman is “not a role model for Cambridge, where we seek to celebrate and respect the diversity of our residents”. Councillor Pateman has rejected accusations of racism. “The term ‘wog’ is in the Oxford English Dictionary. It wasn’t meant as a derogatory remark of any description, in fact I was emphasising that in Cambourne we have a mix of different nationalities”.

Pateman has apologised and resigned. He said “I did not mean to cause offence to anyone and have decided to act in the best interests of the council by resigning”. Council leader Ray Manning said “His decision to resign is the honourable course and will allow us to remember him for his good work as a District and Parish councillor”. Nimmo-Smith remarked “A Tory dinosaur bites the dust”.

In a separate incident, Councillor John Hipkin, former Mayor of Cambridge, has demanded an apology for claims in October that he was “heterosexist”. The accusation was made by the council’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender group in response to a remark made by Hipkin during a planning committee meeting. Councillors were discussing the ‘family-unfriendly’ nature of one and two-bedroom Cambridge flats. Hipkin is reported as saying “People presumably start off single or young marrieds and have children, don’t they?”

Hipkin has refuted the claims of heterosexism, saying “I want to get a retraction, an apology for this false accusation. I don’t want correspondence in the city council implying that I sexually discriminate”. Ian Nimmo-Smith told Varsity that the matter has been “blown out of all proportion by Councillor Hipkin. There is no accusation for which to apologise, nor any process by which a verdict of not guilty is to be issued”.

He continued “I think there are areas of awareness, particularly in relation to equalities issues, where councillors could sharpen our act”. It has since been reported that training may be put in place to encourage councillors to avoid heterosexism in the future.

Kate O’Raghallaigh