Wokingham’s borough major, Cllr Carol Jewel, used her mayoral announcement at October’s full council meeting of Wokingham borough council to address community cohesion in the borough.
She said: “These are worrying and disturbing times. Incidents of hate directed towards religious groups and minorities are increasing. Wokingham borough is a welcoming place with strong community cohesion, but we cannot be complacent, and we are not immune to intolerance and racism.
“So, it is important that we both guard against hatred and actively promote inclusion and diversity and at the same time are anti-racist. In this Chamber we are used to disagreement and the forthright expression of views, and we all have the right to express our opinion and the privilege of a public platform to do so.
“But with those rights and privileges come responsibilities, especially at a time when community cohesion is being tested across the country and when the public conversation is awash with venomous language designed to sow division and spread hatred.
“We are community leaders as well as political leaders and what we say and how we say it matters, not just in this chamber but in our public pronouncements on social media channels, the local press and other outlets.
“So, as the Borough’s Mayor, I would therefore like to remind Members from all political persuasions of the need to be careful over the language we use. I do not believe anybody here would want to cause any of our communities to be more fearful than they already are or feel unwelcome. As I said we actively promote inclusion and diversity and at the same time are antiracist.’’
