One of Britain’s wokest councils has told staff to call parents ‘caregivers’ instead of ‘mum and dad’ in a bizarre new inclusivity guide.
Merton Council, south London sent a 27-page inclusive language document round to employees encouraging them to change the words they use in the workplace.
The guide, obtained by The Sun, also tells workers to stop using the words ‘young’, ‘old’ or ‘mature’ to describe people, in a clampdown on ageism.
It’s not just ‘mum and dad’ on the way out, with ‘mother and father’ also a no-no, according to the document.
The Labour-run council says it aims to reduce the chances of staff making assumptions about a child’s biological parents.
The change in terminology is also supposed to ‘recognise diverse family formation’.
In further semantic reforms, employees will be told to use ‘person-centred language’ instead of gendered terms, including ‘man the desk’.
The debt-laden council’s equality and diversity team also said: ‘Avoid making assumptions about preferred names or nicknames without asking the individual first.’
One of Britain’s wokest councils has told staff to call parents ‘caregivers’ instead of ‘mum and dad’ in a bizarre new inclusivity guide (Stock Photo)
Merton Council, south London, pictured, sent a 27-page inclusive language document round to employees encouraging them to change the words they use in the workplace
Free Speech Union boss Lord Toby Young said: ‘I’m amazed that Merton Council has time for this nonsense.
‘I can only assume fly-tipping and potholes aren’t a problem in Merton.’
Daily Mail has approached Merton Council for comment.
It’s the latest example of the south London local authority spending its scant resources on a woke project.
In April, it decided to replace precious street parking with dedicated e-bike bays.
With residents struggling to park on streets in the area even before the phased installation of 350 planned rental bike spots, the mere sight of broken white lines accompanied by the words ‘cycle hire only’ infuriated some locals.
The initiative is part of a wider scheme by Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, to tackle the problem of poorly parked or abandoned e-bikes being left on pavements, where they can be a safety hazard for disabled people or parents pushing buggies.
Merton has yet to forge an agreement with rental companies operating in the borough, meaning e-bike users are under no obligation to use the newly created spaces.
Free Speech Union boss Lord Toby Young, pictured in 2017, said: ‘I’m amazed that Merton Council has time for this nonsense’
As a result, e-cycles often remain strewn about the streets, while the bays designed to accommodate them stand empty.
Nahian Khan, a resident of densely populated Abbott Avenue, the site of one of approximately 220 e-bike bays introduced so far across Merton, says the initiative has placed added pressure on parking in areas where competition for spaces was already fierce.
‘Even before the e-bike bay was introduced, it was often difficult to find a spot near home, especially in the evenings or on weekends,’ said Khan, who has started a petition demanding Merton reconsider the introduction of bays.
‘Many of us have spent far too long circling nearby streets or parking a good distance away.
‘The removal of even one space, especially without warning, has a ripple effect. It’s not just a single car space gone: it’s added stress, competition, and tension for already limited parking. For people with mobility issues, young children, or those working shifts, it makes life harder.
‘Many of us depend on our cars – they’re not just a luxury, they’re essential to how we live.’
A perceived lack of discussion around the process has only deepened local frustration. While Merton council says every bay is subject to a statutory consultation ‘advertised at the locations, as well as online, and in local newspapers’, many residents complain the spaces have simply been foisted upon them.
‘There’s genuine frustration,’ added Khan. ‘The neighbours here are civil and community-minded, but many have been vocal in their alignment: we weren’t in favour of this move.
It’s the latest example of the south London local authority spending its scant resources on a woke project. In April, it decided to replace precious street parking with dedicated e-bike bays
Sally Gibbons, the chair of a Wimbledon residents’ association, has raised safety concerns about e-bikes left on her road, but says dedicated spaces will only work if backed by legislation
‘The biggest issue is the total lack of consultation. We only found out about the e-bike bay after it had been installed. No letters, no leaflets, no notices. It feels like something was done to us, not with us – and that’s what stings most.’
Merton council, however, insists that consultations have taken place, with the location of bays informed by data and guidance from Transport for London, local knowledge, observed evidence of use, and information from neighbouring boroughs and councils.
‘Every bay that is on the road is subject to a statutory consultation,’ said a spokesperson for the council. ‘These are advertised at the locations, as well as online, and in local newspapers.
‘While these consultations are not votes, we will review plans where respondents identify serious shortcomings to any particular bay – indeed, a number of proposed bays have been withdrawn or adjusted as a result of feedback.’
The project is not cheap. The council estimates the total cost will come in at £140,000, a figure that covers consultation, staff and implementation (including posts, signs and road markings).
Previous documents published by the council put the cost of two bays at £2,630 – a figure that would put the total price of 350 at £463,750.
Funding will come from the 2025/26 Transport for London micromobility programme, which aims to reduce the use of privately owned cars by enabling more people to cycle and use electric bikes and scooters.
Previously, Merton emerged as the second most sympathetic council in allowing its employees to ‘work from the beach’.
As things stand, the introduction of a rental bike parking bay on Gibbons’s street has had little impact, with users continuing to leave cycles parked anywhere but in the designated spaces
Bosses at Barnet Council granted 286 requests to work from overseas between 2020 and 2023, data from the TaxPayers’ Alliance revealed.
This was followed by Merton at 251 and Islington Council in North London at 237.
Central Bedfordshire Council was next, giving 161 staff the green light to work from overseas, while Leeds City Council granted 74 requests.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance sent Freedom of Information requests to all 383 councils in the UK, with 320 responding.
On top of the 1,221 approved requests in the previous three years, a further 137 requests were given the green light, but the councils did not supply yearly breakdowns.
