Warwickshire Pride files complaint over George Finch library remarks
Warwickshire Pride submitted a formal code of conduct complaint against george finch after the Reform UK Warwickshire County Council leader said books containing "contested gender ideology" should be removed from libraries in the county. Finch said the policy would follow complaints from residents about some children's books.
The complaint arrived after Finch said libraries should "not seek to embolden political ideologies" and described those ideas as "highly charged and polarising." He also said they should not be "taught to children as pure fact," linking the issue to how Warwickshire's about 30 libraries, many of them community-run, handle children's material.
George Finch and Warwickshire Pride
Warwickshire Pride said Finch's comments further marginalised LGBT+ people. In its complaint, the group said, "The suggestion that books or resources acknowledging LGBTQ+ people somehow undermine neutrality is both misleading and dangerous," tying the conduct challenge directly to what Finch said about library collections.
Finch later told CWR he was not referring to books about "people's sexuality." He said he was referring to books featuring transgender issues and refused to name the titles he was concerned about. In the same interview, he said, "Kids should be taught how to be good people, not if they want to be a boy or a girl - that's completely irrelevant," which narrowed the dispute to the content of children's books rather than libraries in general.
Mike Bannister on policy
Reform councillor Mike Bannister said there was "no indication whatsoever" that staff had promoted specific literature. He said the new policy would be "fully discussed" with the libraries team, suggesting the council has not yet set the final wording Finch said would follow residents' complaints.
The complaint adds to scrutiny already surrounding Finch. An independent investigation found he breached the code of conduct after public comments that could have jeopardised a child rape case, and that finding can still be challenged. Separate complaints about his portrayal of councillor Jan Matecki as a burglar on social media remain under investigation.
Warwickshire libraries policy
Warwickshire's libraries issue now sits inside a formal conduct process rather than a public debate alone. With about 30 libraries in the county and many run by communities, the council leader's remarks have immediate relevance for the people who help decide what stays on shelves and how children's books are handled while the policy is being developed.
