County council leader Carl Les tells of 'prejudice'

Council leader Carl Les says he had experienced prejudice because of his Polish heritage

A council leader who says he has experienced prejudice says he will work to "root out "discrimination following the death of George Floyd in the US.

Carl Les, who has led North Yorkshire County Council since 2015, said he understood prejudice having grown up as the son of a refugee from Poland.

The family surname had originally been pronounced as "Lesh" and he had been targeted because of this.

He said North Yorkshire was multi-cultural and a welcoming place for all.

He said: "There is no place in our society, in our county or in our council for discrimination, prejudice or hate in any form.

"I think it is right to say North Yorkshire has prided itself on being a multi-cultural and an understanding and welcoming place for all.

"Black lives matter, but actually all lives matter in North Yorkshire."

• More stories across Yorkshire

While the local authority serves one of the country's highest proportions of White British residents, Councillor Les said he was mindful of ethnic minorities in the county, the Local Democracy Reporting Service says.

Census data shows North Yorkshire's population is 93.4% White British, compared with 80% nationally.

Some communities have higher proportions of people of other ethnicities, and in Richmondshire 21.8% of residents identify as "other Asian" mainly due to the Ghurkha population at Catterick Garrison.

Speaking at a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council's executive, Councillor Les said he wanted the council's voice to join global expressions of outrage after Mr Floyd's death.