February 15th 2024.
The holiday park has recently come under fire for allegedly discriminating against Irish Travellers in their booking process. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Pontins has engaged in "shocking overt race discrimination" by creating a list of common Irish surnames labeled as "undesirable guests" and instructing staff to decline or cancel bookings made under those names. They also required guests to appear on the electoral register, which the commission deemed discriminatory towards Travellers who are less likely to be on the register.
In addition to the list, a "banned guest" list was also found, which contained individuals and their family and friends suspected of being Irish Travellers. The commission also discovered that call centre employees were instructed to listen for Irish accents and decline or cancel bookings based on that alone. These discriminatory practices were brought to light by a whistleblower who shared the list with the EHRC in 2020.
Upon investigation, the EHRC found that Pontins had violated the Equality Act 2010 and entered into a legally binding agreement with the company to end the discriminatory practices. However, the agreement was terminated the following year, leading to a formal investigation. The EHRC also found that the discriminatory practices were supported by senior managers and their leadership failed to take any action or accept corporate responsibility.
The EHRC has now served Pontins with an unlawful act notice and required them to produce an action plan to address the issue. The plan must include an apology to and engagement with the Gypsy and Traveller community, monitoring of booking cancellations and failures, and a review and update of policies and procedures to ensure they are not discriminatory. Failure to comply with the plan could result in criminal sanctions.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, expressed concern over the discriminatory practices and emphasized the need for them to be addressed and not tolerated. In response, a spokesperson for Pontins apologized for any harm caused and stated their commitment to ongoing compliance with the Equality Act.
While the investigation and notice are recent, the specific incidents in question occurred before 2018. The call centre where the discriminatory practices took place has since closed and the majority of the staff involved have left Pontins. The holiday park remains a popular destination for budget holidays, but the company has faced backlash for their discriminatory actions and is now working towards addressing and preventing future discrimination.
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