A senior Liverpool council officer has resigned as chair of the authority’s domestic violence strategy over a tweet branded “misogynistic”.
Steve Reddy was already under investigation by the council and has apologised “unreservedly” for the tweet, which joked about his mother-in-law drowning.
But the ECHO has now learned that he has also stepped down as the chair of the council’s Domestic Abuse Strategy Group (DASG) following complaints about the incident. He remains the council’s director of children and young people’s services.
Another council officer, believed to be the council’s strategic lead for domestic abuse Angela Clarke, is also understood to be under investigation for her response to Mr Reddy’s tweet.
Mr Reddy's tweet, which has now been deleted, made reference to his mother-in-law drowning in a car crash and suggested he had ordered a funeral wreath in the shape of a life-belt.
The tweet has been strongly criticised by several groups including the domestic violence charity Women’s Aid, which published an open letter on Monday (April 19) calling on the council to tackle “a wider culture where the severe impacts of sexism and misogyny are minimised”.
In its letter to acting mayor Wendy Simon and council chief executive Tony Reeves, Women’s Aid said: “We are deeply troubled that the director of children and young people’s services and Chair of the DASG dismissed men’s violence against women as something trivial, ignoring the fact that three women are killed every two weeks at the hands of a partner or ex.
“We are similarly concerned that the strategic lead for domestic abuse did not challenge this, but laughed along. It is entirely inappropriate these individuals to perpetuate a culture where violence, murder and assault towards women and girls is seen as acceptable and something to laugh at on social media.
“Since the tragic death of Sarah Everard, we have seen the start of a national conversation on male violence and what must change to end it.
“A pivotal part of this is for political and community leaders to prioritise ending male violence and champion women’s equality in our workplaces, schools, streets, homes and online.
“We need public figures to tackle the attitudes, myths and stereotypes – such as the ‘mother in law’ stereotype at the heart of this harmful ‘joke’ – that underpin violence against women and girls.
“Mr Reddy’s damaging ‘joke’ highlights that these attitudes are so ingrained that those directly responsible for supporting women and children impacted by domestic abuse have no understanding of what is driving men’s violence and how to end it.”
In response, Cllr Simon and Mr Reeves said: “Liverpool City Council does not condone misogyny or violence of any kind.
“We are aware of a tweet posted by our director of children’s services Steve Reddy, on his personal account.
“An investigation will take place and the appropriate action will be taken.
“The tweet has since been deleted and Steve Reddy has apologised unreservedly for the unintentional offence caused.”
A council spokesperson said all city council staff who use social media are "advised to think carefully before they post and share content."
Mr Reddy’s resignation follows calls for him to step down from several city politicians.
Princes Park council candidate Lucille Harvey said: "Steve Reddy's joke showed seriously flawed judgement, which lost him the respect and support of those across Liverpool who treat VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) with the seriousness it deserves.
"He cannot continue to chair Liverpool City Council's Domestic Abuse Strategy Group with any credibility."
Former City Councillor Rachael O'Byrne added: "Jokes about gendered violence don’t exist in a vacuum, they’re part of the culture that enables violence against us."
The Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service (LDAS) said it was "concerned" that Mr Reddy had "made a misogynistic 'joke' - minimising VAWG (violence against women and girls) by humour".
The group added: "How can someone with no understanding of the impact of such humour lead on [domestic abuse]?"
