COTSWOLD District Council (CDC) has reacted quickly to condemn incidents of hate crime that are on the rise following the EU Referendum vote.

Echoing a statement in the House of Commons by Prime Minister David Cameron, Cllr Lynden Stowe, leader of CDC, said that recently reported incidents of verbal abuse and xenophobic threats aimed at ethnic minorities were appalling and should not be tolerated.

He said: “The UK enjoys worldwide recognition as a tolerant and peace-loving nation; we have a diverse mix of cultures and races contributing to our economic and social wellbeing and everyone deserves respect.

“We’re fortunate in the Cotswolds because there are very low levels of hate crime – nevertheless, we can’t afford to be complacent and we encourage everyone to help us drive out this sort of anti-social behaviour.

“The recent increase in hate crime across the UK is despicable and there is no place for it, both here in the Cotswolds and also across the whole country.”

He assured residents that CDC is working to ensure that the police and all relevant local organisations in the Cotswolds have “our full support in helping to tackle or guard against any local hate crime incidents in the District.”

“All people living in the Cotswolds are seen as valued members of our communities, including those from other nations, many of whom have made remarkable contributions to our culture and collective prosperity,” he added.

CDC has a page devoted to combating hate crime – cotswold.gov.uk/residents/communities/community-safety/hate-crime/