An unreserved apology has been issued by Northamptonshire County Council after it demanded a “female, white and non-Muslim” taxi driver in a contract.

A tender was issued by the council for private firms to bid for the contract, which involved transporting a vulnerable child to and from school. It stated: “The contractor must provide the escort. Please note that the escort must be female, white and non-Muslim.”

The Chronicle & Echo was alerted to the tender by a taxi driver operating in the county. The man, who is a Muslim and asked to remain anonymous, said: “To say it is offensive would be very strong because I don’t know the reasons behind it, but the council should not be issuing tenders like this, full stop. I was in total disbelief that it would make such a stipulation.”

Under discrimination laws, it is illegal for employers to demand recruits be of a specific gender or race unless it is a prerequisite for them to be able to do the job.

A spokeswoman for the council said a “full-scale review” had been launched. She said:

“We apologise unreservedly for this error of judgement which resulted from trying to address the specific needs of an individual child. We’re confident on the basis of our initial investigations that there was no malicious or discriminatory intent. However, we have now launched a full-scale review into this matter. We’re deeply sorry for any offence or distress this has caused. The council takes equalities very seriously and we will not tolerate any practices in this organisation which discriminate against any group or community.”

Anjona Roy, chief executive of Northamptonshire Rights and Equalities Council, said the language of the contract was “alarming”. She said:

“This tender would have to pass through the council’s legal department, so it is alarming that potential discrimination could have been missed. “This is not just a concern for Muslim people in Northamptonshire, it is a concern for the entire non-white population, and any minority group, that their council is issuing tenders in this way.” She added the council may have left itself open to expensive legal action under anti-discrimination laws, the bill for which would have to be picked up by the tax payer.

Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 10 June 2010

Update:  See also “”Deep concerns” over council ad for ‘female, white, non-Muslim’ taxi driver”, Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 11 June 2010