By Cllr Clive Jones
We have all been impressed by the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people in resisting an unprovoked invasion.
The response across the free world has shown that Russian hopes of sowing division have backfired.
Putin wanted to deter his neighbours from joining NATO and the EU; instead, he has driven them into the arms of these international organisations.
But despite the heroism of the Ukrainians and the misjudgments of Putin, the most striking thing about the invasion is the human suffering it has involved.
Many innocent people have been killed or injured, homes have been destroyed and enormous numbers of people, especially women and children, have been displaced.
Here in Wokingham, we are playing our part in the dealing with the fall out from this humanitarian crisis.
I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all those who have done so much to help the Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in our community.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to the residents of the borough who have generously opened their doors to Ukrainian families.
To share your home with strangers is surely the greatest act of humanity and kindness.
The voluntary sector has been brilliant, stepping up to the challenge in a truly impressive way.
We owe them enormous thanks.
I am also grateful to the officers of the council who have gone over and above the call of duty to help match up potential hosts and guests. Many residents have contacted me to praise our officers for their exceptional work in this area of council activity.
Residents, the voluntary sector and council officers working to a common objective – helping Ukrainian refugees – exemplifies the idea of partnership, which the new administration at Wokingham is keen to promote.
Partnership is central to our approach, that’s why we are happy to work with other political parties, including Labour and independent councillors.
We are also working with Conservative MPs locally in an attempt to get housing numbers down.
We can achieve so much more when we work together than we can achieve on our own.
Cllr Clive Jones is the leader of Wokingham Borough Council and Lib Dem member for Hawkedon ward
