Councillor condemns 'inflammatory' comments

Date published: 09/01/2008

The Labour Councillor for Milkstone and Deeplish, Councillor Imtiaz Ahmed, has weighed into the race row surrounding Liberal Democrat Councillor, Elwyn Watkins’ following the leak of an email he sent claiming Rochdale council is perceived as doing "nothing for poor white people".

Councillor Ahmed, a member of the Township Committee that Councillor Watkins is chairman of, said he was "deeply upset" by Councillor Watkins’ remarks.

Councillor Watkins was reported as saying that Rochdale Council is perceived as "doing nothing for poor white people" and that he expected "the BNP to be pushing at an open door" at the May local elections. He has so far refused to apologise for these comments.

The remarks, said Councillor Ahmed, were wholly inaccurate and could set race relations in Rochdale back many years.

"I am appalled that such racially motivated comments were made even in private," he said. "For Councillor Watkins to be secretly doing the bidding for the BNP is staggering. He is the Chair of Rochdale Township and for him to be seen to be inviting the BNP to come into our Borough is wholly irresponsible. I am even more amazed that he has been backed on this matter by our MP, Paul Rowen."

Councillor Ahmed also stressed that the idea that Asian communities across Rochdale were receiving the lion’s share of funding from the council was a fallacy. He said: "Where is Councillor Watkins evidence to show that Asian residents receive more public funding? If he has such detailed evidence he should make it available."

"Over 65 per cent of residents in the ward I live in are from an ethnic minority background and yet this is still one of the most deprived wards in Rochdale," he said. "For Councillor Watkins to adopt a stance based on the politics of envy is totally counterproductive and very damaging to race relations. Research shows that deprived areas in England contain four times as many people from ethnic minority groups as other areas. People living in these areas will be incensed by Councillor Watkins remarks because they have to put up with a lack of service provision, pollution, poor public transport and inadequate housing."

He has called on Councillor Watkins to apologise for his remarks and for Paul Rowen to withdraw his support on this issue.

"At a time when the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, is making it his mission to promote stronger community cohesion and achieve better representation of ethnic minorities in his own party," argued Councillor Ahmed, "it is totally hypocritical for Paul Rowen to be backing these damaging racially motivated comments."

Local Imam Irfan Chishti said: "The issue is much wider than who gets the money and why.  I think it is about perceptions borne of  poor communication between the two communities - issues of social depravation and poverty transcends all races.  These kind of comments are not helpful in building bridges between communities.  A simple assessment of council funding allocations will clearly show where the beneficiaries are."