THE leader of Cambridgeshire County Council has echoed comments which attacked the “despicable prejudice” that exists in certain areas of the county - including Fenland.

In a blog, Ben Slade, head teacher of The Manor, in Arbury, said “appalling bigotry has a dramatic effect on the self confidence and self esteem of many of the young people we work with and must not be tolerated.”

Councillor Nick Clarke, leader of the county council, said prejudice was not just found in the Arbury district but extended to other parts of Cambridgeshire, including deprived wards in Fenland.

He said: “There is no doubt that prejudice does exist – not only towards Arbury, but towards other parts of Cambridgeshire as well. The Oxmoor district of Huntingdon and parts of Fenland suffer similarly from this misconception.

“I have travelled widely throughout Cambridgeshire since becoming leader in May and have seen many examples of these communities working together to raise aspirations for themselves and their families.

“This is where the residents of this county are at their finest – rising to the challenge and refusing to be downhearted by some of the negative perceptions they hear about where they live.

“Every district of Cambridgeshire should be proud of what they have achieved and what they stand for.

“As Leader, I will continue to work with our partner agencies to raise these aspirations further and ensure they are not disadvantaged by some of the unfair and unjustified comments made.”