New Lincolnshire Mayor, Andrea Jenkyns’ critics dismissed her DEI pledge — but evidence suggests she’s right, and the council may not be telling the full story.
In the days following newly elected Lincolnshire Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns’ pledge to remove “diversity officers” from the county council, several media outlets dismissed the commitment as redundant, noting that Lincolnshire County Council itself confirmed in a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) response that it does “not employ any Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) officers.”
However, a closer examination reveals that this response may not tell the full story, and highlights how precise wording in official queries can obscure rather than clarify public understanding.
What Did the FOI Really Say?
The FOI response cited in media coverage is dated 27 March 2025, and it answers a specific question: whether the council employed any roles titled “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer” during 2022, 2023, or 2024. The answer, truthfully and narrowly, was “no”.
But a previous FOI request from 2022 paints a more nuanced picture. In that response, Lincolnshire County Council confirmed that at least one role dedicated to diversity and inclusion did exist – namely, an “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Officer”— within the 12 months prior to the request. The council even outlined the officer’s responsibilities and pay grade.
Was that role terminated? Or does the discrepancy arise not from a contradiction, but from the wording of the FOIs?
While “DEI” and “EDI” refer to the same principles (Diversity, Equity/Equality, and Inclusion) FOI responses tend to be literal and technical. Ask for “DEI Officers” and you’ll get a response about people with that exact job title, not necessarily anyone working in the field of diversity.
But Do Such Roles Exist Today?
Despite official claims, a brief search of LinkedIn and other professional platforms reveals multiple individuals affiliated with Lincolnshire County Council who describe their roles as involving diversity and inclusion. These job titles are publicly listed and easily accessible. Within minutes, The Conservative and Reformer Post identified several such employees, suggesting that DEI functions do exist within the council—whether formally titled or not. These include:
- An EDI Lead
- A DEI Coach and Trainer
- Equality Coordinators and Network Leaders
These individuals may not carry the formal title of “DEI Officer,” but they clearly contribute to the council’s diversity, equity, and inclusion functions. Many work across departments such as HR, special education, or staff engagement, suggesting a distributed approach to DEI responsibilities rather than a centralised team. Some clearly boast on their Linkedin profiles that their key skills are “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.”
A Lesson in Semantics—and Governance
Critics have used the FOI’s narrow scope to imply that Dame Andrea Jenkyns was either misinformed or grandstanding when she vowed to eliminate DEI roles within the county council. However, her broader point (that such roles exist, albeit under different titles) is demonstrably true.
What this situation highlights is the importance of precise language in policy and oversight, and the need for media outlets to distinguish between literal truth and practical reality. Just because a council doesn’t employ someone titled “DEI Officer” doesn’t mean DEI functions are absent.
Far from being an empty promise, Dame Andrea’s comments have sparked a necessary conversation about transparency in local governance and the role of diversity programming in public institutions. The media’s dismissive framing, based on a narrowly defined FOI, fails to acknowledge the actual presence of DEI-aligned work within the council.
Whether one agrees with her stance or not, it’s clear that DEI, by any name, is very much part of Lincolnshire County Council today.
