In a recent LinkedIn post, Lara Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 critically examines the decision by prominent housing organizations to provide a prominent platform to Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, at The Housing Community Summit in Liverpool. Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 expresses dismay and questions the alignment of this decision with the sector’s stated values of diversity and inclusion.
“Engagement is not the same as providing a prominent platform. Format and setting matter. They combine to send a message. One that distresses me.”
Questioning the Rationale Behind Platforming Reform UK
Lara Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 begins by acknowledging the necessity of engaging with political parties, particularly those with electoral support. However, she sharply distinguishes between engagement and the conferral of a significant platform, emphasizing that the choice of format and setting sends a powerful message. According to Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉, the decision to give Richard Tice a prominent one-to-one slot, opening the first day of the summit, was an “intentional decision which cannot be described as politically or morally neutral.”
The core of Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉’s concern stems from Reform UK’s proposed housing policies. She highlights Tice’s announced plans to prioritize British citizens born in Britain for social housing, while suggesting different treatment for British citizens born abroad and the eviction of foreign nationals. Furthermore, Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 points out the proposed evictions for tenants not maintaining their gardens, disregarding potential extenuating circumstances such as disability, illness, or bereavement.
Contradictions in Sectoral Response
Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 notes the apparent contradiction between the actions of organizations like the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the National Housing Federation (NHF) and their public stances. She recalls that the CIH has publicly challenged Reform’s proposals, stating they would affect individuals who have lived and contributed to the UK for years, implicitly referencing the Windrush generation. Similarly, the NHF has described the proposals as divisive and contrary to the sector’s values.
“Yet both have invited Richard Tice to speak. The contradiction baffles me.”
This discrepancy leads Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 to question the internal decision-making processes. She poses a series of pointed questions about who was consulted, including whether representatives from BME National, Housing Diversity Network, or UNIFY Network were involved, and if Black, Brown, and Muslim colleagues or tenants were part of the discussion. The absence of an equality impact assessment is also raised as a concern.
Dissonance Between Diversity Sessions and Platforming Decisions
Further analysis by Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 reveals a perceived dissonance in the summit’s overall structure. She observes that while there are later sessions dedicated to diversity, inclusion, equity, and community cohesion, the decision to grant a prominent platform to Tice, whose policies are seen as divisive, undermines these efforts.
“I note that there are later sessions on diversity and community cohesion. I see dissonance in holding sessions about diversity, inclusion, equity and community cohesion in one room while conferring status and legitimacy to divisive politics in another room.”
Personal Impact and Sectoral Responsibility
Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 grounds her critique in personal experience, stating, “This is not an abstract political discussion for me. I am the daughter of Windrush parents. I am Black. I wear a headscarf. I have a foreign sounding name.” She articulates that she represents the demographic that Reform UK’s rhetoric seems to oppose. She questions whether the leaders of CIH and NHF consider the impact of such decisions on social housing staff, board members, and tenants who may have faced hostility and racist behavior fueled by such rhetoric.
“Many social housing staff, board members & tenants have been on the receiving end of violence, threats, hostility and racist behaviour that Reform’s rhetoric engenders. Do CIH and NHF leaders care about how we feel?”
Ultimately, Lara Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉’s post serves as a call for greater accountability and ethical consideration in how professional bodies engage with political discourse, urging them to ensure their actions align with their stated commitments to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Lara Oyedele ✊🏽 🍉 on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on September 6, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →