Newark Town Council votes to donate extra £1,500 to help Ukraine

Newark Town Council will donate an extra £1,500 from its budget to help those affected by the war in Ukraine, it has been decided.

Members of the council's finance and general purposes committee were asked to consider a proposal to spend £800 on a mayoral trip to Emmendingen in Germany.

The trip would be to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the town's twinning agreement with Sandomierz in Poland, which is also one of Newark's twin towns.

Member Max Cope said that the money and the extra £200 from the council's twinning budget should be gifted to Sandomierz instead as it is twinned with Ostroh, a city in Ukraine.

"Sandomierz is really really getting involved with helping the refugee situation," Mr Cope said.

"They are taking refugees from Ukraine and, of course, Ostroh and organising donations of food and clothing and getting it shipped to Ostroh.

"On that basis, I propose that the money in the budget for town twinning is this year sent to Sandomierz."

Members were generally in support of Mr Cope's idea, suggesting that the town should do more to show solidarity to those effected by the crisis.

Johno Lee said: "I've lived in Newark for 13 years and I've been lucky enough to see this town support Afghan refugees and Syrian refugees.

"We've always been at the forefront of helping people from across the world and I think that it's the right thing now to support Ukraine by actually doing something."

Member Irene Brown said that she would like to see members from all parties on the council showing a united front on the issue.

She said: "I wholeheartedly agree that we should send the money to support hungry children and innocent people.

"It would be nice to show a united front to the people of Newark who voted us in to represent the town council."

James Baggaley said that he would also like to see the money donated to people of Ukraine, but that he thinks not attending the celebration could send the wrong message.

"I think it's critically important that we do everything we can to support Ukraine, both from a financial perspective but also to show solidarity and to build links with people who we now clearly see as allied friends," Mr Baggaley said.

"We did miss the celebration last year and I think that not doing it this year would actually send the wrong signal at the wrong time."

Members were also asked to consider a proposal to spend £500 on a new pendant to add to the mayor's chain to mark the Queen's platinum jubilee.

Lisa Geary, the town mayor, said that she doesn't think spending the money on the new badge was a good idea.

She said: "The chain that I've been wearing for the past few months is a very historic piece of very valuable jewellery and I don't understand why anything needs adding to it.

"This, to me, seems inrelevant. I don't see why we need this, I think that it would detract from the value of one of the most valuable chains in the country."

Member James Baggaley suggested that the Queen herself probably wouldn't be in favour of spending the money on the badge when it could be used elsewhere and that it should be sent to the Ukraine appeal instead.

"The Queen's reign has been about service and sacrifice. We will recognise Her Majesty's service when we come together as a nation," Mr Baggaley said.

"Quite frankly, I think it would send a brilliant message about sacrifice and service if we as a town council give that money to the people who need it most at this point.

"I'm not going to support any amendment that isn't giving the money to the Ukrainians."

However, Johno Lee disagreed and said that the badge would mark an important moment in the council's history.

"It makes me very very proud that our Queen has been on the throne for as long as she has," Mr Lee said.

"The history of this town council makes me even more proud. We've been going for a very long time and we would be adding to that history.

"If we aren't adding to that history and making history, then what's the point really."

It was agreed by the majority of members that the £1,000 from the council's twinning fund be given to Sandomierz to help the people of Ukraine.

Committee chairman Jay Henderson had the casting vote and decided not to spend the money on the jubilee badge for the mayor's chain. The £500 will instead be given to the Ukraine appeal.