Staff at London council banned from using ‘Sir/Madam’ in letters and emails

A London council has banned all staff from starting letters with ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam.’

The changes are set out in a 17-page document written up by Hackney Council, who believe that calling people male or female is dehumanising.

As part of their gender-neutral clampdown, town hall staff must begin letters with Dear colleagues, Dear partners or Dear council taxpayer.

The council said: ‘This guide has been produced to help Hackney Council staff ensure that wherever possible, language is used that creates a welcoming environment and fosters a sense of belonging, pursuant o our core value of being inclusive.’

Further changes will see staff ordered to use ‘workforce’ rather than ‘manpower’  and refer to the leader of a meeting a ‘chair, not a chairman.’

Staff cannot use phrases such as ‘man up’ or ‘guys’ – which the council allege promote gender stereotypes.

Women should not be stereotyped as emotional, difficult or bossy, either.

The document reads: ‘Be aware that not everyone identifies as either male or female.

‘Use gender-neutral language like everyone, participants, audience etc instead of ladies and gentlemen when addressing groups.

‘In formal correspondence, Dear Sir or Madam is still used when names are not known. It is possible to find alternatives which are inclusive of all genders — such as dear colleagues, dear partners, dear council taxpayer etc.

‘Terms such as partner are more endearing than husband or wife. Gender-neutral pronouns such as ‘they’ and ‘them’ also work well in general communications to a wide audience.’

The move by the London council comes after Surrey Council banned its staff from calling simple tasks a ‘piece of cake.’

And Sunderland Council banned staff from using the word ‘working-class’, before making a U-turn.

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