2023/25588 -Stonewall, LGBT , Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

REQUEST

If I understand correctly you are stating that although Gwent Police paid a membership fee to Stonewall in 2021 you did not take up a membership in the Diversity Champions Scheme. Given that membership is automatically conferred by the payment of a fee I am struggling to understand this explanation. Your response to FoI 25179 explicitly describes payment of a ‘membership fee’. In what sense is it therefore possible for Gwent Police to have paid a ‘membership fee’ to Stonewall without actually becoming Stonewall members? Further, this explanation does not reconcile the factual inaccuracies in the information you have given me. 

In response to FoI 25179 your answer states: 

‘The Force has paid one membership fee for Stonewall Diversity Champions membership for period of 4/05/21-3/05/22 the Net cost was £2500 VAT £500 Gross £3000’. 

This answer clearly states that Gwent Police paid for and took up membership of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme in 2021. 

In response to my FoI, 25588, you provided the following answer: 

‘No – Gwent Police has not been part of a Stonewall scheme in the past five years.’ 

You further answered ‘N/A’ when asked the amount of any money paid to Stonewall in 2021/22. 

These answers clearly state that Gwent Police did NOT pay for or take up membership of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme in 2021. If Gwent Police paid a membership fee to Stonewall in 2021 but did not take up Diversity Champions scheme membership why did you answer ‘N/A’ to the question about whether any money had been paid to Stonewall in 2021? Regardless of whether a membership was taken up, you did in fact pay money to Stonewall in the year 2021. 

This appears to have been a straightforward mistake and I’m not sure why an opaque story about costly membership fees being paid for intangible memberships has been invoked to explain it. However, I am now concerned that there may be other factual inaccuracies and mistakes in the information that Gwent Police supplied to me about their involvement with the Stonewall Diversity Champion’s scheme. I am therefore requesting that Gwent Police conduct a new search for information relating to questions 1, 2, 3 and 4, which are provided below for clarity. Please acknowledge receipt of this request and notify me of a timeline for its completion. Given that you have provided me with factually incorrect information and that I have been obliged to chase you for corrections, it would seem courteous for you to expedite this process. 

1. Please confirm whether Gwent Police is currently or has been a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme at any time in the last five years. 

1. Please provide the amount of any money paid to Stonewall in 2021/22, whether or not as payment for goods and services. 

1. Please confirm whether Gwent Police has made a submission to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index in the last five years. 

If applicable, please provide a copy of Gwent Police’s most recent submission to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index

RESPONSE