Speech by Cllr John Halsall, Leader of the Council this evening
“I am sure I speak for the Council and indeed the Borough, when I express our shock, sorrow, and anger for Russia’s antagonistic and gratuitous assault on Ukraine just a month ago.
The war in Ukraine is tragic. It is bringing and will bring more destruction, maiming and loss of life. The queue of refugees is the greatest movement of people since the second world war. It is a catastrophe.
Freedom needs to be dearly protected. And what is freedom? It is the power to live as one wishes. And that is what is now being challenged. Ukraine is sovereign and democratic nation pursuing self-determination. Ukrainians must be able to live their lives as they chose.
The Ukrainian flag has been flown over Shute End to underline the whole council’s and I believe the whole borough’s support for the Ukrainian people in this their hour of need. It will stay there until there is some resolution which may be some time. This is a moment when the tectonic plates have moved and will almost certainly not go back to where they were. The human and economic cost will be huge and long lasting.
As Councils we will deal with the ramifications of this war. This will include responding to refugees and displaced people, issues relating to energy, the cost of living and cyber security.
We must seek to manage those things within our control and encourage Her Majesty’s Government to the maximum within its control.
I have set up the architecture across the Council to do what we can and should be done. This will be managed in the same way as we did Covid – regular meetings to respond to the challenges, as they arise and to be concurrent with government guidance and national policy. I will reinstate the Leader’s meetings, and Councillor bulletins as appropriate.
I know that there is a frustration to do something and to do it now. Rest assured that massive demands will be placed on us. We are only at the beginning of a very long process. We must meet them organised and planned. We will work with our voluntary sector partners, our health partners, our schools and our community safety partners. And we will do this whilst not neglecting our current residents’ needs.
We have an existing Ukrainian community, which we are reaching out to. We must ensure that we are doing all we can for them. We are offering facilities for the collection and distribution of aid to Ukraine and will support local agencies who offer a similar service.
We also have a Russian and Belorussian community within the Borough, who should not be penalised for Vladimir Putin. We do not have an argument with the Russian people but with the Russian government, its dictator, and his acolytes. We need to make this clear in anything we say and do.
We may well see certain commodities rise substantially in price particularly energy, some foodstuffs, and mined materials. This will hit certain sectors of our community particularly hard.
I have written to the Prime Minister expressing our support for his six-point plan, which is to:
• mobilise an international humanitarian coalition.
• do more to help Ukraine to defend itself.
• maximise the economic pressure on Mr. Putin’s regime.
• no matter how long it takes, prevent any creeping normalisation of what Russia does in Ukraine.
• be open to diplomacy and de-escalation,
• act now to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.
As events unfold, we must welcome those seeking sanctuary here in whatever numbers eventually arise. The first have already arrived and many more are in train. We are a great Borough, and we shall rise to the challenge as the numbers may be greater than anything we have experienced before. This is against a background of the aftermath of Covid and a huge pressure on our housing.
Ukranians will need housing, schools, jobs, financial help and assistance in integrating into society. In short they will need all the help the Council and Government can give. Whilst they may wish to go home, there may not be a home to go back to.
We have divested ourselves of all Russian and Belarus contracts and investments. In practice, we have none directly with the Council. The pension fund has an immaterial exposure to investments and their economies and has been instructed as we must divest themselves of any exposure that they may have.
We are the premier local authority with superb officers and excellent leadership. We will rise to the challenge and ensure that Ukrainians who chose to come here regard Wokingham Borough as their second home.
It is not Ukraine’s battle, our independence and freedom is at stake as well; we must ensure that Ukraine remains a free and independent country.
Slava Ukrainian”
