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Entire Pride in London advisory board quits over 'hostile environment'

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The 2019 parade was attended by more than 1.5 million people

All 10 members of the Pride in London community advisory board (CAB) have resigned, citing a "hostile environment" for volunteers of colour.

They have called for new leadership and for City Hall to investigate bullying allegations.

The mayor of London said he "takes allegations of this nature extremely seriously".

A full review of "processes at board level" is being carried out, Pride in London said.

The CAB, which was established in 2012, advised the directors on questions of inclusivity and helped Pride in London to meet its commitment to openness and transparency.

The resignation letter criticises the organisation for failing to set up an anonymous formal complaints procedure "outside the direct influence of directors" to report bullying or raise concerns.

It is claimed this affects the most vulnerable and marginalised volunteers.

'Privileged few'

The letter says: "Contributing to this hostile environment is the increasing preoccupation at Pride in London with managing the public relations concerns of its leadership, at the cost of supporting its black and POC (people of colour) volunteers or community members.

"It is our view that Pride in London has acted less as custodians of a sacred event that champions the rights of all in our community, and more as a personal project of a privileged few.

"At this point, it is clear that there is no desire from Pride in London to take on board recommendations by the CAB or the wider community."

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In reaction to the resignations, a spokeswoman for Sadiq Khan said City Hall was committed to tackling racism and inequality in all forms.

A spokesperson for Pride in London told the Guardian it had a number of processes in place for volunteers to be able to lodge formal complaints - including anonymously.

"We acknowledge that we need to rebuild trust with black communities and people of colour, and to that end we are conducting a full review of our processes and procedures at board level in order to bring about tangible and meaningful change."