Chris Taylor, 38, an LGBTQ+ activist from Rochford, Essex, has launched a petition against the Reform council's ban on Pride events in libraries. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

After Reform gained control of Essex county council in the May elections, the new leadership banned Pride events in 74 libraries, scaling back events of 'any particular groups or themes'. Taylor called the decision 'Orwellian' and said it communicates that the LGBTQ+ community is not welcome.

Reform councils across England, from Essex and Durham to Leicestershire and Kent, have imposed bans on flying the Pride flag and holding Pride events in public spaces, as well as, in some cases, defunding Pride events previously sponsored by local authorities.

Essex county council said libraries were 'safe spaces for everybody' and LGBTQ+ books and displays would continue, but added the promotion of library events aimed at specific groups was under review.

Taylor has contacted Reform councillors but has yet to receive a response. With Essex Pride approaching, one LGBTQ+ resident told Taylor they had wanted to attend the library with their child, but expressed safety concerns.

In Sunderland and Gateshead, Reform-led councils have withdrawn funding for Pride events and ended the practice of flying Pride flags on council buildings, while South Tyneside council has restricted the flag's display to a single day at the start of Pride month.

Drew Dalton, an outreach manager at Out North East, said the organisation had been preparing for Reform victories for months. He said Sunderland and Gateshead's decisions to stop flying Pride flags, alongside funding cuts, had left the organisation feeling it had lost 'money', 'visibility' and 'a great number of allies'. 'We've spent a long time building up relationships and we lost them overnight in the local elections,' Dalton said.

The group has been forced to move events away from council-owned land and venues in anticipation of further restriction. Dalton said concerns within the LGBTQ+ community extended beyond council policy: promotional signs had been repeatedly torn down, and people attending the One Centre hub had expressed anxiety about the wider climate.

'I don't want to paint us as all scared,' he said. 'There's also a lot of righteous anger about what's going on. And there's the beginnings, which is wonderful to see, of people starting to pull together.' Dalton said the political climate was reshaping Pride events: 'We'll probably look back at the latter half of the 2010s as a period when Pride became much more of a party. This year we're not even having concerts. We're having a rally in Sunderland. That tells you how the dynamic has shifted.'

Gateshead council, defending the changes, said it would only fly the union flag and St George's Cross from council buildings but would continue to support civic, cultural and community events. Wakefield council said it had adopted a more consistent approach focused on civic, national and military service flags, while Kent county council said it did not fly 'cause-specific or community campaign flags' on its buildings.

Warwickshire Pride chair Daniel Browne said they had 'severely' felt the impact of the Reform administration since the party had won local elections in 2025. 'From not permitting the Pride flag to fly, to announcing that Warwickshire Pride should not receive council funding, and this week saying [they] want LGBTQ+ books and information banned from Warwickshire's libraries and schools, we are seeing hate towards our charity rise as a direct result,' Browne said.

Browne had requested the Pride and Trans flag fly at the county council on behalf of Warwickshire Pride, but was not surprised when the requests were declined. However, when the county council's chair changed from Reform to Conservative, it was decided the flag would be raised this month. Browne said attendees of the charity's services have reported increased anxiety, self-harming behaviours and hate incidents as a direct result of the changes. 'We're stretched, under attack ourselves, and that's difficult to navigate, but we remain here for Warwickshire's LGBTQ+ population and will continue to push back,' he said.