Councillors in Walsall could be told what to wear following a request from the authority’s Reform leader, Councillor Elaine Williams.
A draft dress code has been prepared for all elected members which will either be approved or rejected at a standards committee meeting on October 19.
It puts a general ban on sportswear, shorts, any clothing with ‘slogans and political messaging’, and hats and caps.
A list of items have been placed under an ‘exceptional circumstances’ section of the policy, where it says councillors should notify the relevant chairperson in advance of any meeting if they plan to wear them.
This includes religious or cultural dress, items worn for medical reasons, military medals, small Union Jack or Saint George’s Cross pin badges and the Remembrance Poppy.
The chair of that meeting has ultimate discretion over whether to excuse a councillor from the approved dress code, ‘provided a satisfactory explanation is given’.
The draft code also states that at civic occasions, members will be required to wear formal attire.
Members of the standards committee will meet on October 19 to either reject the dress code or recommend its approval to full council with or without amendments.
By Rachel Alexander | Local Democracy Reporting Service
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