Cheltenham council Lib Dem candidate Jermaine Ravalier 'stood down following racism'

A Liberal Democrat has said the lack of accountability in local politics to tackle racism forced him to step down.

Jermaine Ravalier was a candidate for a seat at Cheltenham Borough Council but resigned before the May elections.

He said: "Over the 18 months from when I was selected to the day that I resigned there had been four or five clear instances of discrimination."

The council said it was an "internal matter" within the Lib Dems rather than an issue with the council's processes.

"No matter has been referred to the council," it said.

A Lib Dems spokesperson said the party had not received a complaint but encouraged one to be lodged formally so it could investigate.

But they added the party had carried out a "thorough review, which includes updating their processes, including mandatory unconscious bias training from July 2020 for panel members and clear guidance on questions around Protected Characteristics".

Mr Ravalier, who had intended to stand for the Up Hatherley ward in Cheltenham, said his race and ethnicity was questioned from day one at the local Lib Dems' selection panel and "group think" was a factor.

"During my selection interview, one of the questions that was asked was 'what I would do if someone questioned my ethnicity to hit quotas' and that stood out to me as a bit of a funny question to ask during selection.

"The other thing that stood out to me was that the person who asked that was Dennis Parsons who was later kicked out of the party.

"But there were lots of other people in that room who were part of that selection process who were silent - they didn't question his question."

Lib Dem Dennis Parsons was suspended from the local party in July 2020 for repeatedly using "incredibly offensive racial slurs" at a council meeting.

He was later censured, which councillors said was the "strongest available option" to them.

Mr Ravalier added his experience was compounded when the Lib Dem deputy mayor Sandra Holliday became eligible for re-election in February despite standing up for her fellow councillor Mr Parsons, and justifying his racist language.

She was suspended for six months but was still eligible to stand once this period ended.

"Quite a few people stood up and said they could not support the deputy mayor because of her words and her actions, but so many spoke up in support of her," Mr Ravalier continued.

"It's not about her as an individual - what wound me up most was that there didn't seem to be mechanisms in place to sort out these issues at the swearing-in ceremony."

Mr Ravalier decided to resign as a result of this meeting on 22 February.

Ms Holliday said the issue "was dealt with internally by the party and the process concluded several months ago".

"I put myself forward as deputy mayor and was pleased to get the support of colleagues from all parties to retain this post for a further year."

A total of 14 councillors voted for her election as deputy mayor, six against and 11 abstained.

Mr Ravalier added that while these roles were purely symbolic it sent out a signal that discrimination was not taken seriously, with no meaningful reprimands in place, and the process of choosing these roles was heavily influenced by how long people had served.

"It's a wider systemic issue, it's to do with local politics as an entity. And it's to do with local politics in Cheltenham, those honorary positions which don't mean a huge amount but they are important, at least symbolically," he said.

A Cheltenham Borough Council spokesperson said Mr Ravalier's experience "relates to an internal matter within a national political party rather than an issue with the council's processes, and no matter has been referred to the council".

"The council has adopted a procedure regarding how a mayor and deputy mayor are elected, with rules in place for the selection of councillors to these posts.

"The mayor and deputy mayor are elected by full council and these appointments were duly made at a council meeting on 17 May 2021."

Mr Ravalier added that having the same people standing for re-election was causing a lack of choice for voters and "similar people were being retained".

"There was never any anger or upset because as a person of colour you almost expect these things to happen."

Since stepping down, Mr Ravalier has chosen to focus on promoting equality and equity with other organisations such as the police and private sector.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "It's crucial that council members inspire confidence and have the trust of their electorate.

"Every council is required to have a code of conduct for members, which must adhere to the seven 'Nolan' principles."

However, the spokesperson said it was for councils to draw up their own codes and "arrangements for dealing with alleged breaches", and to decide how their ceremonial roles were filled.

"The Committee on Standards in Public Life's Review of Local Government Ethical Standards did make a number of recommendations in this area, which we are carefully considering and will respond to in due course," they added.

A Local Government Association spokesperson said it "had been constantly working with all councils towards increasing diversity and we will continue to do this to ensure council chambers across the country are as inclusive and representative as possible".

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