Staff at a council in Britain have been banned from calling their parents ‘mum and dad’.
Instead, officials have labelled the term “caregivers” as more appropriate.
The council claims that not saying the words “mother” and “father” would help “recognise diverse family formation”.
The council’s 27-page inclusive language guide was revealed by The Sun and also details how “young”, “old” or “mature” should not be used due to concerns of ageism.
The guide also tells staff to avoid gendered phrases like “man the desk”.
Staff are advised to use “person-centre language”.
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Wikimedia CommonsThe guide, which was written by the equality and diversity team, also warns against “making assumptions about preferred names or nicknames without asking the individual first”.
Free Speech Union boss Lord Toby Young said he was amazed the council had “time for this nonsense”.
“I can only assume fly-tipping and potholes aren’t a problem in Merton,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Merton Council said “we aim to communicate with understanding and without making assumptions”.
Toby Young of the Free Speech Union | GB NewsIt comes after Wokingham Council in Berkshire banned staff from using the term “hard-working families”.
The council feared it could offend jobless people and make them feel “undeserving”.
The guidance explicitly states: “Talking about ‘hard-working families’ implies those who are not working are undeserving.”
The controversial move has led to the authority being branded “Woke Borough Council” by critics.
The language restrictions are part of a broader effort to make council communications more inclusive.
The guide also prohibits terms like “blacklist” and “whitewash” as they could be considered “racist”.
Staff have been warned that “sustained eye contact could be considered aggressive” in some cultures.
Young, at the time, criticised the council’s decision, telling The Sun that “it would be Wokingham Borough Council that came up with this”.
“I expect the next step will be to delete the last two syllables of their name so it becomes Woke Borough Council.”
He added: “More inclusive that way because the hard of understanding will get what the council’s all about.”
