A COUNCIL planned to tell staff not to use the term “working class” — because it was too British.
Sunderland City Council instead told its workers to describe labourers as “people with fewer financial resources”.
The 17-page “inclusive language” guide was written for 2,700 staff earlier this year.
It has now been scrapped after The Sun asked the council to explain the document.
The Labour-run authority, which is £500million in debt, was set to tell workers that “working class”, “middle class” and “upper class” were “very British and mean different things to different people”.
Suggested alternatives include saying labourers have a “routine and manual occupational grade” income.
Staff were also urged to avoid using words such as “youth”, “Gen Z” and “divorcees” as they “foster unhelpful stereotypes”.
Sunderland-born Charlie Peters, 21, said of the guide: “It’s bonkers.
“Being working class isn’t negative — many people are proud to be.
“They complain the term is ‘British’ – do they know what country they’re in?
“What they want to replace it with is more offensive because they’ve made it about income and money.”
He said the council should focus on helping residents in poverty.
City council leader Michael Mordey said: “This was an internal discussion document among officers, uploading it was an error and it has not got anywhere near formal use or sign-off.
“For what it is worth, the council has no intention of stopping the use of the term ‘working class’.
“I am proud to consider myself working class.”
