Defunded, not defeated: Durham Pride returns bigger than ever after Reform UK funding cut

Pride Month is on its way, and preparations are underway in Durham for the city’s annual celebration, set for Saturday, 30th May 2026. The main Pride event is due to take place on Saturday, May 30, beginning with a parade at 11 am from Palace Green, outside Durham Cathedral, and finishing at The Sands.

This year, the celebration is back, but ‘bigger and better than ever’ before. Here’s why: After Reform UK cut funding for the annual Pride Parade, trade unions stepped in, raising more money than was originally cut.

Trade Unions, including the TUC, Durham Miners Association and Equity, have raised more than £15,000 to replace the lost council funding and keep Durham Pride running after the withdrawal.

Reform UK deputy council leader Darren Grimes told us the funding should be redirected to “core services”, arguing the council should not fund what he describes as “contested services”.

£15,000 in funding secured

Durham Castle, as of Thursday, 14th May, raised the Pride flag above Durham Castle, where it will remain throughout the celebration.

This victory is especially symbolic as the city’s Pride officially launches “bigger and better than ever”, following £15,000 in funding towards the event. It is an especially poignant move after the same flag was removed from County Hall shortly after Reform took control and ordered only national and local flags to be flown.

The launch at the Radisson Blu Hotel comes less than a year after Durham County Council, now controlled by Reform UK, confirmed it would withdraw financial support for future Pride events. The council budget previously accounted for up to £10,000 in contributions.

Reform’s leadership, including deputy council leader Darren Grimes, argued the authority should not fund what it calls “contested causes” and has pledged to divert money to core services such as roads and waste collection.

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Trade union support

Trade unions have stepped in to fill the gap, with a fundraiser led by the TUC and Durham Miners Association raising more than £8,400, and a further £7,200 donated this week by Equity, taking the total to more than £15,500 to keep the event running.

TUC regional secretary Dave Pike said the response showed the union movement was determined that Pride would go ahead, warning that more than half of LGBT+ people still report bullying or harassment at work and that “we still need Pride not only to celebrate, but to organise and demand better”.

British trade union Equity was one of the biggest patrons, having donated £7,200 to the cause.

While presenting the donation, Equity President Lynda Rooke said: “Equity – your union – will not allow a Pride event that brings work for our members and celebrates our performers to die. And I am proud to announce that Equity has stepped up.”

She continued: “What’s even better is that this new agreement signed between Durham Pride and Equity will ensure decent standards for all our members and our workers. We are sending a message to Reform and any other group that is planning on attacking the cultural sector, which is: we see you, we will fight you, and we will succeed.”

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Reform UK: ‘Durham Pride never needed taxpayers’ money’

Responding to the success of the union fundraising campaign, Reform UK deputy council leader Darren Grimes argued it proved Durham Pride “never needed a single penny of taxpayers’ money”.

He said: “They’ve raised over £15,000 between them. So why were the people of this county, pensioners, working families, anyone staring at their stretched bank accounts ever expected to bankroll it in the first place?” Defending the decision to withdraw council funding, Grimes said his priority was spending money on local services instead.

He added: “The TUC says it’s ‘determined’ Pride goes ahead. Marvellous. I’m determined the bins get emptied, the potholes get filled and social care gets funded. Forgive me if I think that’s a marginally better use of money than rainbow bunting and a fundraising lap of honour.”

Grimes also criticised the Durham Miners’ Association’s support for the event, accusing the organisation of “wrapping itself in the memory” of former miners while criticising their descendants for voting Reform. He said: “They love the miner as a banner. They can’t stand him as a voter.”

The Reform councillor insisted the party had not tried to stop the event from taking place, adding: “Nobody banned Pride. Nobody cancelled it.” He continued: “We simply stopped forcing working people to pay for politics they never signed up to, a politics increasingly obsessed with removing women’s rights via the transgender craze.”

Grimes concluded by criticising the unions’ response, saying: “If that’s the unions’ idea of a crushing defeat, on the altar of identity politics, then my God, don’t they show how far they have fallen as a movement?”

Reform UK’s stance on Pride

In August 2025, Durham County Council’s deputy leader, Darren Grimes, slammed the planned Pride event, stating that the funding will instead be diverted to services that aren’t “contested causes”.

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The council invested up to £10,000 in last year’s event, which attracted several thousand attendees. However, the Reform administration still withdrew its support ahead of the 2026 celebrations.

At the time, Councillor Grimes said, as reported by Northern Echo: “Durham Pride won’t be getting a single penny from this council next year.”

Grimes added of the event’s agenda: “Pride stopped being a celebration of gay rights a long time ago. It’s morphed into a travelling billboard for gender ideology and political activism that many in the gay community – myself included – want no part of. Taxpayers shouldn’t be bankrolling it.”

He went on to explain that the event could go ahead, but clarified that Durham County Council “isn’t an ATM for contested causes”.

“Our residents deserve bins emptied, roads fixed, and services funded – not more council-sponsored politics in fancy dress,” he continued. Grimes concluded that Reform would spend its budgets on “the services everyone relies on, not on flying the latest alphabet flag for the professional offence industry”.

Following the decision, trade unions in the county came together to raise money and ensure Durham Pride 2026 could go ahead despite the financial setback. Fundraising efforts were a huge success, and brought in more money than was originally cut from the council’s budget.

A Durham County Council spokesperson told The Durham Tab: “The council has historically supported a range of festivals and events that support our communities and bring economic benefits to the county. All requests for assistance are carefully considered on a case-by-case basis against the policy objectives and priorities of the council.”

‘A beacon of hope and solidarity’

Durham Pride organiser Mel Metcalf said the castle would act as “a beacon of hope and solidarity”, describing the flag as a statement that Durham Pride will stand against attempts to erase LGBT+ visibility.

The dispute over flags and funding follows a turbulent year in which Reform removed the Pride flag at County Hall and Durham Pride, in turn, said some politicians would not be welcome on its stage, insisting that parties using LGBT+ people as a “political football” should not expect a platform at the event.

It led to strong words from Durham Miners’ Assocation’s Alan Mardghum at the Big Meeting. Mr Mardghum, reacting to Pride’s 2026 launch, said: “It is great news from the TUC.

“I said we would make sure the Pride flag would fly here and it is, so it is great news that there has been the support to make the event happen.”

City of Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy, said Reform’s decision to lower the Pride flag and threaten funding had backfired, insisting “no act of political grandstanding” would hold back Mr Metcalf or Durham Pride. She said: “A year ago, when they took control of Durham County Council, Reform made headlines by lowering the Pride flag at County Hall and threatening to defund Durham Pride.

“We are still here and we aren’t going anywhere. This year Pride will be bigger and better than ever before, and I cannot wait to see everyone on the field.”

Student involvement

There are many ways for students to get involved, from volunteering on the day to purely attending and taking in all the fun. Some of Durham’s societies will be attending as volunteers, alongside others helping to make a difference during the day.

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Societies volunteering on the day include: Queer Sphere, Durham University’s LGBT+ Association, St Aidan’s College and the Durham Labour Society.

Event details: Everything you need to know

On Saturday, 30th May, the march will be followed by live performances, speeches, bars, food vendors, stalls and funfair rides, with organisers and unions urging local residents, institutions and businesses to show their support and display symbols of inclusion across the city over the weekend.

Guests can expect a day filled with music, dancing and community spirit. This is Durham stated: “This ticketed event is all about embracing who you are and spreading positivity. Whether you’re part of the LGBT+ community or an ally, everyone is welcome to join in the fun. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to show!”

Equity regional official Dominic Bascombe said the union was “extremely proud” to back Durham Pride, describing events like this as both a celebration that brings communities together and an important source of work for performers while calls for a “fair and equal society for all” continue.

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Featured image via @durhamprideuk_official on Instagram and Canva