Melton Council pledges to do more to tackle racism and inequality

We reported this week that an investigation has been launched into the conduct of Newport Ward representative, Simon Lumley, after he posted a phrase used by members of a white supremacist group.

Councillor Lumley has denied he is a racist and says he used the #whitelivesmatter hashtag on his Twitter account without being aware of its connotations.

His comments came in the wake of protests across the UK and the world by the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of black American George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota.

Councillor Lumley has apologised, though, and resigned from the ruling Conservative group on the borough council.

The council issued a strong statement, announcing the investigation into Mr Lumley and at last night’s (Wednesday’s) cabinet meeting, the leader, Councillor Joe Orson, read another to reiterate the authority’s opposition to all forms of racist behaviour.

Councillor Orson told the meeting, which was broadcast online because of the need for social distancing: “These have been challenging times for our country.

“The Covid 19 pandemic has created an unprecedented health and economic crisis and the recent tragic death of George Floyd has sparked widespread protests and social unrest as communities cry out for justice and equality for all.

“Melton has not been immune from this turmoil and I believe now more than ever Melton Borough Council needs to send out a clear and unambiguous message to all our communities that we will continue to champion equality and fairness and that we will not tolerate racisms in any form, at any time.

“There is of course much more that we can do and I have already submitted a motion for council in July and at our next meeting I will ask all councillors across the chamber to join me in reaffirming our commitments to tackle racism and to promote equality.

“I will also be setting out proposals for where I think we can do more in this area and I will look forward to discussing with all members next month.”

Councillor Lumley contacted the Melton Times to give his side of the story following his resignation from the borough’s ruling Tory group.

He said, with the Tweet he put out, that he was trying to imply that all lives mattered, regardless of race or creed.

“On the day of me tweeting this comment, it was due to the previous day of the #BlackLivesMatter discussion point trending worldwide,” he told the Melton Times.

“So, to counterbalance the debate, I tweeted this #WhiteLivesMatter discussion point, also trending worldwide, in order to come across as, in fact, #AllLivesMatter.”

He added: “Despite this explanation, and having apologised unreservedly, I still thought it appropriate to resign from Melton Borough Council’s Conservative Group, as a result of this tweet.”

In a separate response issued earlier through the council, Councillor Lumley stated: “I am not a racist and I support Black Lives Matter.

“I am extremely sorry for my Tweet and apologise unreservedly for any offence I have caused.”