Cllrs unite to condemn Ukraine invasion

UKRAINE was very much on the minds of the council meeting, with the chamber decorated with Ukrainian flags ahead of a motion condemning the invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russian troops.

The mayor, Cllr Keith Baker, introduced a minute’s silence for people who had died “unnecessarily” during the conflict.

It was held at the beginning of the Wokingham Borough Council meeting.

The minute’s silence was introduced by Father Stan Gibzinski, the parish priest from Our Lady of Peace and Blessed Dominic Barberi churches in Earley, and of Polish descent.

Afterwards, Cllr Baker thanked Father Stan and said: “Poland is doing a massive amount to help refugees… their charity to the people coming from Ukraine knows no limits.”

During the declaration of interest, Cllr Maria Gee said that she had registered to house a refuges, something that was echoed by Cllr Rachel BishopFirth, Cllr Paul Fishwick, Cllr Phil Cunnington.

The council agreed to pass a motion to condemn the invasion of Ukraine, to pledge solidarity with the country’s people, and to welcome those seeking sanctuary in Wokingham borough. It was proposed by the mayor and his deputy, Cllr Adbul Loyes, as it was felt that the issue was not a party political one.

Cllr Loyes thanked Father Stan and Mick Pollek, a member of the Reading Ukrainian Community Centre, who introduced the debate with a moving speech which earned him a standing ovation from the chamber. In it, he highlighted the co-operation between Reading and Wokingham borough councils, and looked forward to the day when the war was over.

“Friends, councillors … I can presume to call you friends,” he said. “Because in times of need, friends help each other, and, by goodness, we have had a lot of help from Wokingham Borough Council.”

This included council leader John Halsall making arrangements for the centre to store some of the humanitarian donations made by residents to go to Poland and Ukraine to help fleeing refugees.

“On the 24th of February, at four o’clock in the morning, the war started,” he continued.

“The illegal invasion and subsequent murder of our people began. We had a referendum 1991 That gave us our independence. Russia via Putin has said that in that referendum was not valid. We as a people do not have a right to exist, we as a country do not have a right to exist, and therefore we will not exist.”

Mr Pollek said that the country has “our eternal gratitude” for the support, including the co-operation between Cllr Halsall and his counterpart in Reading, Cllr Jason Brock.

“That’s going to bode well for us in future,” he said.

He also shared details of a family coming to Reading, a woman with two children, one aged six, the other four. The youngest “is so heavily traumatised, whenever he hears a plane, he cries and falls down.

“We’ve got to somehow pick that child up.

“You will see, when you have people come into your homes, they will obviously be very grateful, but they have got to lead their own lives.

“That’s important, because we are a proud people, we’re a humble people, but we can be arrogant at times too.

“It gladdens my heart to see blue and yellow (in the council chamber), but I’m sad about the circumstances. “

He concluded: “When this war is over, when all this is finished, and we’re free, if you come to Western Ukraine, to Lviv, I’ll see you there, and I’ll give you all a good time.”

Lib Dem leader Cllr Clive Jones spoke in the debate first, saying he was sure there would be “universal condemnation of Vladimir Putin’s uncalled-for war against Ukraine”.

He added: “We have no comprehension of what it’s like to see family members, friends, neighbours and loved ones murdered by Putin’s military.”

For those fleeing, “They need to know that there is a safe space for them and a safe place for their children. A safe place away from a war that they don’t want or deserve.”

Conservative leader Cllr John Halsall said: “Ukraine is sovereign and democratic nation pursuing self-determination. Ukrainians must be able to live their lives as they chose.”

He said the Ukrainian flag will continue to be flown from the Shute End council offices, underlining the council’s support for the Ukrainian people “in this, their hour of need”.

As with covid, regular briefings for group leaders will be resumed to keep them updated on the response to welcoming refugees, and he had also written to the prime minister to show his support for the government’s approach.

“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 while not neglecting our current residents’ needs,” he added.

Labour group leader Cllr Rachel Burgess criticised the government’s slow approach to welcoming refugees, and said that Afghan refugees are still waiting for proper homes, six months after arriving in the UK.

“The response has not been good enough. They failed to properly prepare for the war, and the ensuing refugee crisis. As a consequence … people (are) left in limbo, waiting for the right paperwork. Contrast that to much of Europe, where they are waiving restrictions.”

Independent councillor Jim Frewin said he was proud of the council, its leadership, its members, its officers and the community who have stood up for Ukraine.

“I salute you for your bravery,” he said of the Ukrainian forces trying to stop Putin’s invasion.

Cllr Maria Gee said that her family hosted many non-English speaking children from eastern Europe, saying they loved seeing the seaside, visiting London and sitting in a fire engine.

She highlighted some of the traumas facing children fleeing the invasion.

“Refugees will need trauma support. Host families will need support and guidance because they will inevitably be helping refugees through their trauma. This isn’t simply a case of having a lodger or two in the house,” she said, calling on financial support from the government to help facilitate this.

“The people of this country have shown that they want to support refugees, with more than 150,000 applying to be hosts. The government needs to make that happen; the need is both important and urgent, action cannot wait.”

Cllr Laura Blumenthal (Con, South Lake) said she was a descendent of refugees, and was “proud of the generosity and kindness that residents of Wokingham Borough have shown to the people of Ukraine”.

She said that the council would do everything it could to ensure that the refugees don’t fall into the cycle of poverty. At the same time existing residents struggling “will remain a top priority”.

Cllr Imogen Shepherd-DuBey (Lib Dem, Emmbrook) wanted to know where the refugees were, criticising the government’s immigration policies.

“Many were arriving with little more than just the clothes they are wearing or maybe a few belongings hastily grabbed at the last minute. They do not have documentation, money, contacts or any kind of plan of where to go.”

She wanted the government to speed up its processes.

Cllr John Kaiser (Con, Barkham) said that Ukraine was country and its infrastructure was “bring destroyed by a deluded politician”.

He added: “We will be getting a grant to help settle people into to their new surroundings and, although it will go some way to helping keep any costs to the council low, there will no doubt be unseen costs which will need to be paid for.

“These costs will in part fall on the council and happily, we are in a better position than most councils to bear some of these short-term cost with no additional burden falling on residents of the borough.

“In particular, we will be ensuring that, as a starting point, each family receives £200 in cash.”

He promised that support will be provided for existing residents. Those who live on their own and receive discount on their council tax, and will be taking in refugees, will still benefit from the reduction.

“With so many people opening their door to these people it make you proud to live in Wokingham and we will as a council certainly do our bit.”

Cllr Prue Bray (Lib Dem, Winnersh) said that while the council could not do anything about the war, “we can at least show solidarity with the people of Ukraine”.

She called on the council to make it clear how people can contact for help if the refugees they welcome need school places or help with trauma.

“I know I’m not alone in feeling close to despair (at) Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and what has been done to its people, their country, and the implications to the world as a whole.”

She felt the debate was a chance to show that despite political differences, the parties in the chamber can “stand united against the horrors of this invasion”.

And she also appealed for councillors to join the refugee steering group.

Cllr Rebeca Margetts ( Con, Finchampstead South) pointed out that refugees had had to leave their husbands, dads and brothers behind in a bid to flee, while the devastation was comparable with the Second World War.

“I cannot believe this is happening in my lifetime,” she said, adding that to the war, “there was no obvious end in sight”.

She said that there were at least 150 people from Ukraine who already live in the borough, and they would need support.

Cllr Stephen Conway (Lib Dem, Twyford) said the Ukrainians’ heroic sacrifices had received international acclaim.

“These are our values as well as theirs,” he said of the precious democracy that Ukraine was fighting for, and he urged Wokingham to play its part in welcoming Ukrainian refugees, saying that those who welcomed people into their homes were showing “the greatest of humanity”.

Cllr Gregor Murray (Con, Norreys) said a communication plan would be put in place, including a welcome sheet in Ukrainian for those arriving in Wokingham.

“There will be direct access information for charities, religious support and for local Ukrainian community groups, along with details on how to access the support offered by the likes of Oxfordshire Mind and the Traumatic Stress Service, to help or new neighbours deal with the impact of the last few months of their lives,” he said.

There would also be support if the accommodation arrangements were unsuitable.

“For the families who welcome refugees into their homes, there will be communication relating to how they can best support their Ukrainian guests,” he continued, adding that translation services would be available.

And, mimicking the set-up of the One Front Door support scheme during the lockdown stages of the covid pandemic, Wokingham Borough Council would work with voluntary sector to “coordinating support and donations, and directing help and resources where they will add the most benefit”.

Cllr Phil Cunnington (Con, Norreys) said “every person who experiences a traumatic event will react differently”, with some needing support for years after.

He praised the council’s set-up of a support service run by Oxfordshire Mind, with specialists available, but Wokingham couldn’t be complacent. However, he had confidence that the right packages would be set up.

He added that the council would provide a welcome “whether for a short time or a long time”.

Cllr Charles Margetts ( Con, Finchampstead North) said the council was working with health partners to ensure GPs were ready to help, and with primary care services so they can plan to meet demand, while advice and support would be available in Ukrainian.

“However long they need to stay” refugees would be supported, he added.

Cllr Graham Howe (Con, Remenham, Ruscombe and Wargrave) pointed out that some children would be separated from families including siblings, while we didn’t know what dialect or language will be spoken by them, or the standard of education they had received.

“We know they start school at six,” he said, while at the age of 10, they speak some English, which might affect the way they settle into secondary school.

Cllr Angus Ross (Con, Wokingham Without) praised the Ukrainian forces for “making life unexpectedly difficult for the Russian invaders, performing way above what many expected”.

He is Wokingham borough’s representative on the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and pointed out that fire engines from the fleet had been sent to Ukraine to help. “They’re becoming surplus to needs here, all perfectly serviceable,” he said.

“All of us working together can make a difference,” he said of the refugees coming here.

Cllr Pauline Heliar-Symons (Con, Wokingham Without) spoke of a six-year-old who lost his Mum during an attack, saying she couldn’t get his tears out of her mind.

She condemned Putin’s “propaganda machine” for prolonging the wall, and said that the borough would do its best to help those “at rock bottom” – “we must make sure we look after them”.

That marked the end of the debate, and Cllr Baker thanked councillors for their contributions, urging them to take home the flags in the chamber to display in their windows.

“I’d rather see them in the windows than in the wastepaper baskets,” he said.

The motion was passed unanimously.

At the end of the meeting, Cllr Prue Bray (Lib Dem, Winnersh) wanted to know the process for helping refugee children into schools, as the scheme was different to previous ones in that the onus was on the host to help their guest access services.

Cllr Graham Howe, executive member for children’s services, said the council was preparing for the imminent arrival of families from the Ukraine, and he didn’t know the exact numbers at this time.

“The admissions teams for school-aged pupils are working with the pupil placement planning officers and schools to review capacity,” he said, adding that guidance and advice would be signposted in the information centre.

“Everybody will be assigned a support officer as and when we know about them.”