Council bosses have spent a six-figure sum on an external consultancy firm that helps create "safe spaces" for secondary school boys to explore their masculinity, according to documents seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The Reform-led authority has spent more than £124,000 in March on a consultancy firm called Progressive Masculinity, which provides pupil workshops that help create "safe, non-judgmental spaces where boys and men can explore their masculinity".

According to the consultancy firm, the partnership between the council and the firm will last two years and was announced back in November 2025.

The pupil workshops have been rolling out to every secondary school in Leicestershire and "address key issues such as stereotypes, emotional literacy, and attitudes towards women", according to Progressive Masculinity's website.

The firm also offers assemblies that "engage and educate large groups of students on the importance of positive masculinity" to help "create a more inclusive and understanding school environment where all students feel valued and supported".

The partnership between the council and Progressive Masculinity was established "following pupil workshops and teacher training sessions … run in the local area and the positive impact they'd had", according to the founder.

Back in May, the Leicestershire authority admitted to "soaring costs" and a £85m budget gap by 2030, and has since launched an efficiency review to find potential savings.

Mike Nicholson, founder of Progressive Masculinity, told the LDRS that the partnership enables schools across Leicestershire to access "evidence-informed workshops" and training that many would otherwise be unable to afford.

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He also said that the workshops focus on celebrating the joy and massive potential of masculine identities.

In a statement, he said: "Our approach is very positive and aspirational: it is a wonderful thing to be a man, and there can be four billion different ways to be a man.

"We don't lecture boys or tell them what to think; we create non-judgemental spaces where they have the agency to design the amazing man, friend, partner and father they want to be.

"The vast majority of boys/young men have never had access to a space like this before, and their feedback is overwhelmingly positive".

"We are acutely aware that the funding is from taxpayers' money, which is why our prices are the lowest they can be, and our partnership with Leicestershire included a significant discount given the scale of the contract."

A spokesperson from Leicestershire County Council said: "Progressive Masculinity Ltd is the name of a company commissioned to deliver sessions to build confidence, resilience and develop positive attitudes.

"This relates to a training programme led by academies and funded through money specifically allocated to support schools in meeting the needs of their children and young people as part of schools' routine day-to-day work."