A council which has a hotel that is being used to house asylum seekers has been pressed to condemn racist rhetoric.
The Best Western Moat House Plus hotel in Sindlesham near Earley has been used to house asylum seekers while their claims are processed for years.
Wokingham Borough is housing 250 asylum seekers in hotels, according to Home Office data.
In the summer, Stephen Conway, the leader of Wokingham Borough Council, stated that the council would review the use of the hotel for asylum seekers following a legal challenge relating to The Bell Hotel by Epping Forest District Council.
He also stated that Wokingham Council aims to create a borough where everyone feels safe and welcome.
Cllr Conway has been asked to condemn ‘racist rhetoric’ around the use of hotels to house asylum seekers at the last full council meeting (Thursday, September 25).
Andy Croy, a Labour activist and Wokingham town councillor for Norreys East said: “In 2023 this council passed a resolution saying that it would be applying to be a Borough of Sanctuary for refugees. During the debate, the issue of racism and the plight of refugees in the former hotel at Sindlesham was highlighted.
“The leader’s recent statement on any relocation of refugees from Sindlesham did not seem to mention the Borough of Sanctuary. I hope I was mistaken, but I am sure he will agree it is a pertinent consideration that the council should not be hiding.”
Referring to Yuan Yang, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, Mr Croy said: “One of the Borough’s MPs has been subject to racism. In at least one case this was associated with a threat of physical violence.
“The far-right organised campaign to appropriate our national flag has caused real fear among some of our residents who know the campaign originates from a place of hatred. I congratulate the people of Winnersh for refusing to be intimidated by this campaign and taking down the flags.
“Does the leader agree with me that racism in our Borough is not fought by hoping it will go away but by speaking for the vast majority and saying at every opportunity – ‘Racism is evil – it is not welcome here’?”
Cllr Conway (Liberal Democrats, Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst) replied: “The short answer is yes I agree with you.
“To demonstrate further our commitment to tackling racism, our new council plan includes a priority to ensure people feel, and I’m quoting, people feel safe in their community, including those who have experienced antisocial behaviour, discrimination, or hate crime.
“And I probably should add that our new EDI policy aims to make Wokingham a borough where people trust and respect each other and a place where everyone feels they belong.”
Councillor Stephen Conway (Liberal Democrats, Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst) has spoken about the implications of the Epping hotel High Court ruling in Wokingham Borough.
In a follow-up, Mr Croy said: “ I hope you all can you see to it that the borough takes a much more explicit anti-racist view. We need to call it out for what it is and not ignore it and not hope the nice things will make it go away. Can you agree to that?”
Cllr Conway replied: “I think I can agree to that. But I do think it’s worth remembering that the reassurance that many of our communities need and you quite rightly highlighted the anxiety there is in many parts of our community about racism and some of the violent language that’s being used by people on the far right, that requires a statement of our commitment to inclusivity. That’s why I made that point. I think it is important. Of course, I agree with it completely. ”
