A Labour council has sparked fury after it was revealed it spends roughly £250,000 per year on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion staff, despite serving a 97.1 per cent white population.
Labour-run Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, which covers one of the most deprived areas in the South Wales Valleys, has been criticised for ‘ridiculously wasteful’ spending of taxpayer money on such a ‘divisive’ issue that offers little benefit to the local population.
FoI data exposed by the DOGE Wales social media account revealed the council employs five DEI staff. Four of the jobs were listed in the FoI and were:
- Transformation and Equalities Manager (£50,788 - £52,805)
- Inclusion Officer (£30,559 - £32,654)
- Education Inclusion Officer (£30,559 - £32,654)
- Inclusion Group Leader (£53,856 - £55,544)
Adding these four salaries up (and assuming an average of these salaries for the fifth unnamed job) reveals the council is spending £213,750 a year on DEI staff’s salaries.
While pension plans were not included in the FoI, council staff tend to enjoy hugely lucrative employer pension contributions of 29 per cent, which would bring the total remuneration of the five DEI staff to at least £273,656.
This does not include bonuses, NIC’s, allowances, purchase of homeworking equipment or expenses.
The revelation has prompted fury as according to the latest Census, 97.1 per cent of Merthyr Tydfil’s 58,800 people are white.
Just 1.5 per cent (882 people) are Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh, 0.2 per cent (117 people) are Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African, 0.9 per cent (529 people) are Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups and 0.4 per cent (235 people) are another ethnic group.
That means there are approximately 1,763 ethnic minority people in Merthyr Tydfil, meaning £154 is being spent on DEI staff per non-white person.
It comes after the residents of Merthyr Tydfil were slapped with £135 council tax hike for 2025/26 (5.8 per cent) which the council attributed to the rising cost of additional learning needs, homelessness and social care.
The rise means Merthyr residents will pay the highest council tax in Wales with average Band D bills hitting £2,464 for 2025/26 (£205 per month / £47 per week).
Council tax rates across Wales
GBN
Highest council tax rates across WalesGBNIt also comes after research by the Taxpayers’ Alliance revealed that 12 of Merthyr council’s staff received over £100,000 in remuneration last year.
Topping the list was the council’s Chief Executive Ellis Cooper who received £157,450 in remuneration last year.
This was made up of Cooper’s £129,270 salary (almost four times the average £32,000 salary in Merthyr) and £28,180 in pension payments.
Another seven members of the council are paid over £100,000, while 12 received over £100,000 in total remuneration.
Merthyr Tydfil Council's top fat cats
Merthyr Tydfil Council's top fat cats
GBN
Commenting on the DEI staff, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government, Laura Anne Jones MS, said: “This is ridiculously wasteful spending, when people’s bills continue to rise, they will not be appreciative of such divisive expenditure.
“The Labour-run Council must re-evaluate their spending and ensure that hard working taxpayer’s money is spent on the priorities of their residents.”
Wales’ council tax rises, some of the largest in Britain, come despite £253 million extra funding from the Welsh government.
Average bills across the Celtic Nation are rising by £145 for Band D properties, £36 more than the average rise across England (£109).
Seven councils in Wales are Labour controlled, three are Plaid Cymru and one is independent while the remaining 11 are under ‘no overall control’, though within most of these Labour lead minority administrations like Merthyr Tydfil.
The areas with the largest increases are Ceredigion (up £192), Conwy (up £185) and Flintshire (up £184).
However, these counties still do not have the highest council tax rates for 2025/26. Merthyr Tydfil (£2,464), Neath Port Talbot (£2,441) and Blaenau Gwent (£2,428) make up the top three for overall council tax charges.
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Nigel Farage launched Reform UK's manifesto ahead of last year's General Election in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, on June 17, 2024
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Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is controlled by a Labour minority administration. It is made up of 14 Labour councillors and 16 independents.
The next election for the council is due in 2027. National elections for the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) are due in May 2026.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council was approached for comment.
