The situation in Ukraine has touched our local Conservative Team this week, with our own Patcham & Hollingbury ward Councillor Alistair McNair having family, friends and work connections in the area.

Alistair led our Conservative response to the City Budget meeting this year and started his Budget night speech referencing the invasion in Ukraine.   He said:

“May I just say briefly it is a privilege to be a councillor, and to be here now working for residents, but do forgive me if I feel other events in Europe overshadow my thoughts today.

Let us pray for democratic Ukraine, where my family – my wife’s mother, my mother-in-law, her aunts, uncles, cousins, our friends are currently being bombed in Kyiv.  And pray for Russians who surely cannot agree with the tragedy their leadership has brought about.”

It had been a day when Councillor McNair had received many messages from his in-laws and friends reporting bombs shelling the outskirts of the capital, and Russian and Ukrainian fighter jets flying over his mother-in-law’s house.

Nevertheless Cllr McNair went on to deliver a great speech covering our Conservative Team’s vision for the City to restore our heritage, improve community safety and improve local parks.

Alistair works as a manager and teacher in the tertiary sector in Brighton but he previously worked for the British Council – the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities – in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he lived for 8 years.

Having spent a lot of time in Eastern Europe, Alistair has seen what can happen to a country and a people when there is poor governance and a lack of civic society.  He has also witnessed over the last twenty years how Ukraine, which has a rich 1000-year history, has developed into a vibrant and optimistic democracy – until now.

On finally settling down in the City of Brighton and Hove, Alistair felt a strong desire to play a full role in the local community, and joined the Conservatives.  We soon picked Alistair McNair as a local election candidate and we are certainly lucky to have Alistair as part of our local Conservative Councillor team.

As Councillor McNair delivered his Budget night speech on behalf of the Conservative Group and put forward our Conservative, we could not help but all feel a greater importance to the moment.

In a week where we put forward our Budget vision for the city at a typically colourful meeting of City Council, we must reflect on the importance of democracy.  Ukraine has had a turbulent history, not least in the 20th century when it was conquered both by the Soviets and the Nazis, but in the mid-9th to mid-13th century, when it was known as Kyivan Rus, it was culturally advanced, with property and inheritance rights for women.  We take our democracy for granted, but if we don’t work at it we can easily lose it.

Having served in the armed services myself, in the Queen’s regiment of the British Army and served stationed overseas, I among many know just how tenuous peace can be.

We all of course strongly condemn the unprecedented military aggression against Ukraine by Russia.

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this action against a democratic state in Europe.

It’s difficult at this stage to predict exactly what may or may not unfold over the coming period and how this may impact on the UK and our communities across the city, particularly residents who will have families directly impacted by this invasion.

Like Councillor McNair’s wife, there are many Ukrainians in the Brighton area – perhaps not large community associations but individuals nonetheless.

As the Argus reported, the Chairman of a Ukrainian Association in the UK said that there were “tears of desperation” following the news that Russia had invaded Ukraine.

In the days and weeks ahead, we know that people will have concerns about the impact of this on security, human rights and energy supply and costs, and we will do all we can to gather, provide information and support to residents.

The council leadership will be hoping and striving for peace, and will be working closely with key agencies at national, regional, and local level to keep matters under close review to ensure we can respond as best we can to any implications arising for the city. 

The Prime Minister has given assurances that Britain will receive those who are fleeing in fear of persecution' from Ukraine, as the UK rolls out severe sanctions in response.