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Agenda item
Motion (Rule 14)
Councillor Rogers to propose:
“Hastings has a long tradition of welcoming people from a range of diverse backgrounds and celebrating difference, something which we all should be proud. Just some of the things we as a town have been support are:
City of Sanctuary, Lift the Ban, Black History month, International Women’s Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, One Hastings Many Voices.
We work closely as a council to support and engage with the numerous faith groups right across the Borough with strong links for example to the Hastings Mosque, the Inter Faith Forum and the Chinese Community where we join together every year to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Our festivals which the council are proud to be involved in include Hastings Pride, Jack in the Green, Bonfire celebrations, Hastings Old Town Week and Carnival, Hastings Week, Storytelling Festival and these help to bring together our community.
The advent of COVID, unprecedented in our lifetime, saw our town come together to set up things like the food hub, and provide accommodation for the homeless to ensure that people at the margins of our society were protected. We can be proud of our town’s response.
Unfortunately, COVID has also served to highlight the inequalities in our society. The poorest and most economically disadvantaged are likely to be the hardest hit by this terrible disease. We also know that people from a BAME background have suffered higher mortality rates than the general population and keenly await the outcomes of ongoing research looking to explain these differences.
During this time the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement has been a stark reminder also of the inequalities that people of a BAME background still face. Hate crimes of homophobia and towards religious groups continue to rise.
Unfortunately, there is evidence to suggest that some groups are looking to exploit these differences and divide communities. We cannot afford to let the rich fabric of our town to be torn apart by letting such ideas take hold.
While we must await the outcomes of varying pieces of research and the government’s commitment to a public enquiry on COVID with interest – there remain practical steps we can take now to help ensure the diverse communities of Hastings & St Leonard’s continue to not only survive and but also to thrive. This motion, therefore, commits the council to the following practical steps:
1. The council reaffirms its commitment to combat, racism and prejudice in all its forms. In order to ensure that every individual feels safe, protected and comfortable we will look to work closely with the diverse range of communities in our town.
2. As part of our commitment to the above the council will formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition on antisemitism which defines antisemitism thus:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
3. We will continue to work as part of a City of Sanctuary to press local and national leaders to Lift the Ban on refugees being able to work
4. We will work with the Local Strategic Partnership to bring forward an Equalities Charter that is updated and refreshed to account for the issues raised by COVID and the BLM movement – which will include an associated action plan
5. The council will produce its initial interim report in this regard no later than February 2021
6. The council will look to have the renewed charter and any associated policy changes in place by no later than August 2021
7. The council will ensure that the new charter, once in place, is subject to a review every two years.”
Minutes:
Councillor Rogers proposed a motion, as set out in the agenda, which was seconded by Councillor Levane.
Councillor K Beaney proposed an amendment, seconded by Councillor Marlow-Eastwood, to delete the following:
“3. We will continue to work as part of a City of Sanctuary to press local and national leaders to Lift the Ban on refugees being able to work”
Councillor Rogers did not accept the amendment.
The Mayor suspended rule 16.6b of Council procedure rules, allowing the proposed amendment to be debated at the same time as the main motion, seconded by Councillor Fitzgerald.
Councillors debated the motion and proposed amendment. The amendment proposed by Councillor K Beaney was rejected by 21 votes against, to 7 for.
RESOLVED (by 21 for, 7 against) that the Council do accept the motion as set out below:
Hastings has a long tradition of welcoming people from a range of diverse backgrounds and celebrating difference, something which we all should be proud. Just some of the things we as a town have been support are:
City of Sanctuary, Lift the Ban, Black History month, International Women’s Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, One Hastings Many Voices.
We work closely as a council to support and engage with the numerous faith groups right across the Borough with strong links for example to the Hastings Mosque, the Inter Faith Forum and the Chinese Community where we join together every year to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Our festivals which the council are proud to be involved in include Hastings Pride, Jack in the Green, Bonfire celebrations, Hastings Old Town Week and Carnival, Hastings Week, Storytelling Festival and these help to bring together our community.
The advent of COVID, unprecedented in our lifetime, saw our town come together to set up things like the food hub, and provide accommodation for the homeless to ensure that people at the margins of our society were protected. We can be proud of our town’s response.
Unfortunately, COVID has also served to highlight the inequalities in our society. The poorest and most economically disadvantaged are likely to be the hardest hit by this terrible disease. We also know that people from a BAME background have suffered higher mortality rates than the general population and keenly await the outcomes of ongoing research looking to explain these differences.
During this time the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement has been a stark reminder also of the inequalities that people of a BAME background still face. Hate crimes of homophobia and towards religious groups continue to rise.
Unfortunately, there is evidence to suggest that some groups are looking to exploit these differences and divide communities. We cannot afford to let the rich fabric of our town to be torn apart by letting such ideas take hold.
While we must await the outcomes of varying pieces of research and the government’s commitment to a public enquiry on COVID with interest – there remain practical steps we can take now to help ensure the diverse communities of Hastings & St Leonard’s continue to not only survive and but also to thrive. This motion, therefore, commits the council to the following practical steps:
1. The council reaffirms its commitment to combat, racism and prejudice in all its forms. In order to ensure that every individual feels safe, protected and comfortable we will look to work closely with the diverse range of communities in our town.
2. As part of our commitment to the above the council will formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition on antisemitism which defines antisemitism thus:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
3. We will continue to work as part of a City of Sanctuary to press local and national leaders to Lift the Ban on refugees being able to work.
4. We will work with the Local Strategic Partnership to bring forward an Equalities Charter that is updated and refreshed to account for the issues raised by COVID and the BLM movement – which will include an associated action plan.
5. The council will produce its initial interim report in this regard no later than February 2021.
6. The council will look to have the renewed charter and any associated policy changes in place by no later than August 2021.
7. The council will ensure that the new charter, once in place, is subject to a review every two years.
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