Let them eat bread: Tory councillors in Bradford lead rebellion over toaster ban

Staff at Bradford's City Hall refuse to hand over appliances deemed to breach its eco-friendly standards

Conservative councillors are refusing to ditch their toasters after being told they must go as part of a local council’s drive to rid the building of appliances that breach eco-friendly standards.

The Tory group at City Hall in Bradford is staging a rebellion after being told that toasters, fans, portable heaters, hairdryers were being banned from the Grade I listed building.

Staff were sent a memo saying the appliances would be removed from Monday.

It said an “environmental awareness officer” had identified that the appliances “do not comply with the council’s agreed recycling and heating efficiency policies”.

Simon Cooke, the Conservative councillor who is heading up the rebellion, said: “This is one of those decision that will achieve nothing constructive, but will make us look silly.”

A spokeswoman for City Hall said the appliances had also been banned due to fire safety standards.

“Toasters are not permitted in council buildings, especially Grade I-listed City Hall, due to the risk of them setting off sensitive smoke detectors,” a statement said.

“These in turn trigger the fire alarms, leading to full building evacuations. False alarms are a waste of both council and fire service resources. We are also trying to encourage everyone to be energy-efficient, minimise waste and recycle as much as possible.

“This new policy is to make sure that it is as easy as possible for employees to be more energy-efficient, minimise waste and recycle at work to help the council to save money.”