Tories drop race equality targets

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th Jul 2002

At Tuesday's meeting of Richmond Council Lib Dem Councillor Sir David Williams asked why both race equality targets had been dropped from the Council's latest Community Plan.

Sir David said that the local council should be a model employer, and should set the standard for local organisations. This had been the case in the version of the Community Plan drawn up by the Liberal Democrats in March. A lot of work had been done in the last two years with the Commission for Racial Equality to ensure that Richmond was as good as other boroughs. All the Tories seem prepared to do is to say they will meet their legal obligations.

Instead of explaning the change of policy, Councillor Arbour replied with a stream of personal abuse against Councillor Williams. This clearly embarrassed several of the new Conservative councillors who had not seen their leader behave in this way before. Some of them afterwards privately disassociated themselves from his comments.

After the meeting Councillor Williams condemned the Leader of the Council, saying: "It is bad enough that Tony Arbour is complacent about race equality on Richmond Council. But to refuse to defend this complacency is worse. If he thinks he impresses anyone by descending to personal abuse instead of answering a perfectly reasonable request for an explanation, he is seriously mistaken. Worst of all he will negate the progress that has been made with the Council's staff and with the Commission for Racial Equality."