Councils should remove name and gender details from official forms to help improve equality, according to a London Assembly member.

The Green Party’s Sian Berry wrote to Harrow Council urging it to follow City Hall rules in removing names from recruitment processes and introducing gender neutral options on forms.

“These tiny changes to the current processes would be a step in the right direction to be more inclusive to all residents councils represent,” she said.

“Disappointingly I have found bad practice on many public sector websites, requiring gender details when asking people to fill in forms just to access services like parking or to leave comments on planning applications.

“People should not have to choose between male and female when giving their details to public bodies. People should not be subject to discrimination when applying for a job because of their name.”

Ms Berry has already won the agreement of the Mayor of London to introduce the measures at City Hall, giving people the option not to reveal their gender when applying for services, and introducing name-blind recruitment processes.