Leeds City Council has made wellbeing support and counselling available to its employees ahead of a Reform UK rally scheduled for next Tuesday, after an internal email was circulated warning staff they may be affected by Nigel Farage’s visit to the city.
The Labour-run authority’s HR department sent the communication to staff, informing them they could access wellbeing resources and take part in “safe space conversations” if the forthcoming political event caused them distress. The council’s wellbeing network was subsequently activated following the email.
John Ebo, the council’s HR chief, authored the message, writing that he was mindful such events could have an impact on colleagues and asking that safe space conversations be made available through the authority’s Wellbeing network.
The email was later forwarded to the council’s Race Equality Staff Network, where staff were additionally advised to remain vigilant if they planned to be in the city centre on the day of the rally.
The move has attracted criticism from within the council’s own workforce. One employee, speaking anonymously, told The Sun that no equivalent communications had been sent ahead of pro-Palestinian protests or Green Party events, describing the situation as a scandal and questioning how public money was being spent.
Council management acknowledged the rally had no direct connection to its operations or staff. Leeds City Council subsequently sought to distance itself from the messages, stating that the emails “do not represent formal communications” from the authority — though the correspondence was circulated through established internal staff networks.
Farage responded to the controversy by saying he was visiting Leeds because the community deserved better than what he described as managed decline under Labour and the Conservatives.
The episode has prompted broader questions about whether the council applies its staff welfare provisions consistently across political events of different persuasions. No formal policy position on the matter has been issued by the authority.
