Rother District Council is committed to celebrating diversity and promoting tolerance, and we condemn racism or any form of prejudice and inequality.

The horrific deaths of George Floyd and others in America is shocking and extremely concerning, and it would be wrong to assume that these incidents, although a long way from our district, are not an issue for us all.

Sadly, prejudice and racism can often be found much closer to home and if we don’t take a stand it has the potential to cause long-lasting division and damage in our communities. While many of us will never truly understand the impact of racism, we all have a duty to work together to stamp it out.

Rother District Council will continue to seek equality in all it does, and work with all sections of our community to ensure that any kind of prejudice has no place in our district.

Cllr Jay Brewerton, portfolio holder for health, wellbeing and inclusion, said: “Where countries across the world have been reopening their economies trying to recover from Covid-19, everyone globally has become aware of the fact there is more than one pandemic affecting us all – and this pandemic is more than conventional diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives can address.

“Every Rother resident, every person in our community must take meaningful action against racism within our communities, be mindful, caring and understand that racism exists even right here in sleepy Bexhill and Rother.

“Desmond Tutu once said ‘if you are neutral in the situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor’. Rother District Council, all its staff and councillors, strives to ensure our communities are inclusive with no tolerance of racial hatred in any form.”

Published: 29th June 2020