A London council has advised staff not to refer to married couples as husband and wife. (Image: Getty)
A London council has advised staff not to refer to married couples as husband and wife.
The Royal Borough of Greenwich council in southeast London has provided its staff with an inclusive language guide which suggests they use terms “spouse” or “partner” instead to avoid offending anyone who does not identify as a man or woman.
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The 45-page booklet, obtained by The Sun through a freedom of information request, also asks the council’s employees to avoid welcoming “ladies and gentlemen” if they are running public meetings and events. The news comes shortly after Tower Hamlets council came under fire for removing the flag of St George.
The Greenwich council guide warns the council’s 5,000 staff that such traditional terms are no longer acceptable and gender-neutral alternatives are preferred.
Asking for a “Christian name” is also advised against to create an inclusive environment and promote respectful communication for anyone dealing with the council.
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The foreword for the inclusive language guide states: “For some of us, communicating in a more inclusive way is about changing deeply embedded habits.”
It adds: “It’s OK to make mistakes. Remember that if you are really sorry and apologise, you cannot keep making the same ‘mistake’.”
A spokesman for the council said: “Our inclusive language guide is advisory only, and was designed to encourage staff to reflect on the use of language in the workplace and how it might impact their colleagues. We are proud to have a very diverse workforce at Royal Borough of Greenwich, and are committed to making sure that everyone working here feels considered and included.
“Feedback we have received suggests that the advice in the guide has been very well-received across the organisation.”
Earlier this year Merton council in south London told staff to avoid referring to parents as “mum and dad”, and instead use the term “caregivers”.
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The council said not making assumptions about a child’s biological parents and refraining from using the words “mother” and “father” helped to “recognise diverse family formation”.
Merton, like Greenwich, insisted it had not banned the terms “mum and dad” but had “produced a guide for staff which contains tips and suggestions on how to communicate with understanding and without making assumptions”.
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In further instances of councils shedding the use of traditional terms, Wokingham council in Berkshire advised its staff not to use the term “hard-working families” in case it offended those without a job and made them feel “undeserving”.
Last year, Sunderland city council considered advising staff not to use the phrases “working class”, “middle class”, and “upper class” as they were “very British and mean different things to different people”.
Michael Mordey, the council leader, said the plans were included in an internal discussion document among staff, and that it had “not got anywhere near formal use or sign-off”.
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