Kingston upon Thames Council has apologised and removed wording from an equality assessment after a document supporting the expansion of the borough’s e-bike scheme said electric bikes could help women meet “traditional domestic responsibilities” and “stay looking ‘nice’ on a bike”.
The passage appeared in an Equality Impact Assessment published on 4 June ahead of committee consideration of plans to expand the south-west London borough’s e-bike scheme to 500 bikes. Equality impact assessments are used by public bodies to consider how policies may affect groups protected under equality law, including on the basis of sex.
The disputed wording stated: “Electric bikes may increase women’s access to cycling and physical activity by making it easier for women to meet their traditional domestic responsibilities, as well as stay looking ‘nice’ on a bike.”
Elsewhere, the report said e-bikes were “challenging sexism” by “making bike retail and repair environments more inclusive for women, challenging sexism in bike design and marketing and increasing women’s sense of confidence and entitlement to occupy the road space”.
The language drew swift criticism from residents and social media users, some of whom described it as stereotypical and inappropriate. The backlash prompted councillors to begin looking into how the paragraph came to be published.
In a statement, the Liberal Democrat-run council said it had removed the wording, apologised for the offence caused and began an investigation into the drafting of the assessment.
“We would like to sincerely apologise for this error and for any offence caused,” the council said. “We are committed to fairness and equality of opportunity, working with communities and partners to ensure Kingston is a place where we celebrate diversity, tackle inequality and strive to ensure that everyone feels safe, valued, and heard.”
The council said its investigation found that the description had been taken directly from a peer-reviewed academic paper used as part of the research for the assessment.
“While the research quoted highlights how the availability of e-bikes is challenging sexism and making cycling more accessible for some women, we accept that using the quote, especially in isolation and without reference, is likely to cause offence, therefore it should never have been included in the EQIA,” the statement said.
The authority did not dispute the wording as it appeared in the document, but said the problem lay in reproducing a quotation from academic research without context in a public-facing statutory assessment.
The controversy centres on a wider council plan to increase the availability of shared e-bikes across Kingston. Supporters of e-bike schemes have argued that they can widen access to cycling by making journeys less physically demanding and reducing barriers for groups less likely to cycle regularly.
But the wording in Kingston’s assessment has raised questions about how official equality documents are drafted and reviewed before publication, particularly when they address sensitive issues linked to gender roles and expectations.
By Tuesday, the council had confirmed the passage had been removed from the document and said it was continuing to review how it came to be included.
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