Brighton and Hove's local authority pledged on Wednesday (June 10) to carry out its own review of statues and monuments with connections to slavery and plantations.
It's in the light of the public removal by protestors of Bristol's statue of 17th century slave trader and philanthropist Edward Coulston, whose company is believed to be responsible for the deaths of an estimated 19,000 enslaved people from Africa.
A national campaign has already identified a plaque in the city's Western Road commemorating plantation owner Admiral Sir Edward Codrington.
The City Council's leader Nancy Platts said:
“The Black Lives Matter movement has rightly shone a spotlight on colonial statues and street names in the UK and elsewhere in the world.
“In Brighton & Hove we’re currently reviewing all plaques, monuments, statues and street names on public land to ensure that we’re celebrating legacies that reflect our city’s values.
"We will seek to remove any statues or monuments with clear associations with enslavement or plantations."
She added a commitment to find new ways for the city to honour people from the past:
“We will talk with the council’s BME Workers Forum, our local BAME communities and historians to ensure we fully understand the history of our statues and street names and we’ll work collaboratively to commission new street art installations which celebrate the Black community.
“I would like people to contact me directly if they are aware of any statues, monuments, street or building names which cause them concern.
“We’re also aware of two plaques that have been identified on a website for removal.
"These are on private property but we’ll be contacting the owners to ask them to consider their appropriateness.”
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