Medway councillor David Carr suspended over Travellers comments - Kent

From the BBC

A councillor has been suspended from Medway's cabinet over comments he made about Travellers in a media interview.

The Conservative group said Councillor David Carr was suspended from the community services portfolio, which includes responsibility for Travellers.

Mr Carr gave the interview to the Medway Messenger shortly after being given the community services post.

The Gypsy Council said it was looking at taking legal action against Mr Carr. Mr Carr has not yet commented.
'Proud of record'

Conservative leader Rodney Chambers said Mr Carr now appreciated that his comments were not acceptable and had been suspended pending a review.

The interview, in which the councillor is reported to have likened Travellers to freeloaders and said they moved on and left pitches like a building site, was also published by Kent Online.

"We do not support the comments Councillor Carr made in the interview," said Mr Chambers.

"We at Medway Council are very proud of its record of working closely with all our communities and we are determined that the excellent relationships we have built up over the years will continue."

Joseph Jones, co-chair of the Gypsy Council, said Mr Carr was not the right man for the community services portfolio.

see also: The Daily Mail - 'They c*** all over the place and p*** over the field': Councillor's rant about gypsies (says the new man in charge of allocating Traveller sites)


Kent Online - Ex-mayor David Carr’s Gypsy views ‘more like Nick Griffin’

The Express - Council boss quits over Gypsy rant