‘Respect our culture and heritage!’ Reform council leader backs calls to hold meetings in English only

Reform North East Lincolnshire Council leader Oliver Freeston has backed a call from fellow party members in Birmingham to mandate that all local authority meetings be held in English.

The row erupted after a councillor in the second city recited an Arabic Islamic prayer during a gathering.

Sending a letter to Lord Mayor Zaker Choudhry, Reform members said that, while Birmingham is a diverse city, the council must remain accessible to all by using the national language.

Reacting to the row, Mr Freeston said the move was “just common sense” that would find support among “ordinary folk up and down the country”.

“The fact is that it should all be in English, not only because we're an English-speaking country, but also so that those who are in attendance can understand it.

“I'm afraid it's the slow but steady erasure of our heritage in this country.

“So I'm really pleased that the Reform Council group in Birmingham are standing up and fighting against this.”

Mr Freeston rejected any suggestion that such a mandate would be “divisive”.

“That word gets labelled at us quite often, and it's just like water off a duck's back now,” he said.

The Reform council leader also addressed the presence of religious expressions in local authority chambers.

“We're a Christian country, and I'm not afraid to admit that, and I'm quite proud about it.

“In my own council chamber, the previous mayor scrapped Christian prayers, and I was outraged by it.

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“We should respect our culture and heritage,” Mr Freeston declared.

“Slowly but steadily, they will try and do this, and it's on us to fight back and protect.”

The North East Lincolnshire authority chief rubbished any suggestion that other larger issues demanded valuable council attention.

“That's like saying we shouldn't deal with any small issues because there's always bigger fish to fry.

“When people voted for reform, they knew they were voting for a party that would protect and stand up for our culture and heritage.

“What might seem a small issue for some people is huge to a lot of voters.

“They put their trust in Reform; this is a huge issue, and it rightly riles them up,” he said.