FOI Request 2005

Subject: Membership to Stonewall, and Sexed Spaces, Sports and Services

Status: Complete

Date received: May 2024

Question Asked:

Stonewall attempted to have EHRC stripped of its A status. Does the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service support Stonewall’s challenge of the EHRCs A status?

I would like to know how much money the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service paid to Stonewall in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

I would like to know who took the decision for it to be appropriate for the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to be under Stonewall’s influence, and on what basis?

Lastly, I would like to know if the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has undertaken any similar political activism like it has in being a member of Stonewall in support of gender critical views and the importance of single sex spaces, services and sports.

Our Response:

Please see our response below to FOI 2005.

A request can take the form of a question rather than a request for specific documents, but Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service does not have to answer questions if it would mean creating new information or giving an opinion that is not already recorded.

Stonewall attempted to have EHRC stripped of its A status. Does the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service support Stonewall’s challenge of the EHRCs A status?

Opinion not recorded.  Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service ended their membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme in February 2023.

I would like to know how much money the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service paid to Stonewall in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

2021 - £2,500.00

2022 - £2,500.00

2023 - £0.00 - Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service ended their membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme in February 2023.

I would like to know who took the decision for it to be appropriate for the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to be under Stonewall’s influence, and on what basis?

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service commenced membership in 2009.  The decision to join would have been made at board level and in line with our retention schedule all agendas, papers and minutes are destroyed after 7 years.

Lastly, I would like to know if the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has undertaken any similar political activism like it has in being a member of Stonewall in support of gender critical views and the importance of single sex spaces, services and sports.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service took the decision to withdraw from the programme in order to explore alternative schemes that enable us to measure our performance and plan activity across all areas of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Outcome: Partial Data Held

FOI responded to within timescales: YES

Further action: NO