Notices of Motion
a) Motion from Councillor R Ioannides
Opposition to Further Asylum Accommodation and Sanctuary Status in Huntingdonshire
This Council notes that:
1. Immigration, border control, asylum determination, immigration enforcement and the removal of persons who have no lawful right to remain in the United Kingdom are responsibilities of the UK Government.
2. The provision and commissioning of accommodation for persons supported through the asylum system is principally a Home Office responsibility and is delivered through nationally commissioned arrangements and accommodation providers.
3. Huntingdonshire District Council does not determine asylum claims and does not possess a general legal power to prohibit the Home Office from accommodating individuals within the district.
4. Nevertheless, the location and concentration of asylum accommodation can have consequences for local housing supply, community cohesion, policing, healthcare, environmental health, housing enforcement and other public services affecting Huntingdonshire residents.
5. Huntingdonshire District Council currently publishes wording stating that it welcomes asylum seekers, refugees and detainees and describes Council officers as providing a link between HDC, Serco and community organisations.
6. Compliance with statutory duties imposed upon the Council is separate from political endorsement of the Government's asylum accommodation or dispersal policies.
This Council Believes:
1. Huntingdonshire should not become, seek recognition as, describe itself as, or adopt the policies or commitments of a Council, District, Borough or Local Authority of Sanctuary.
2. There should be no further expansion of Home Office asylum accommodation within Huntingdonshire.
3. Huntingdonshire has already contributed to national asylum accommodation arrangements and should not be expected to accept additional capacity.
4. The availability of accommodation within Huntingdonshire should not, of itself, be treated by the Home Office or its contractors as justification for further procurement or placements within the district.
5. The Government should take proper account of existing housing pressures, infrastructure capacity, availability of public services and the cumulative effect of asylum accommodation when determining where accommodation should be located.
6. Where the Council possesses a lawful discretion, it should exercise that discretion in favour of protecting the interests, resources and services of Huntingdonshire residents and not voluntarily facilitating the expansion of asylum accommodation within the district.
7. Persons whose asylum claims remain legally unresolved must be distinguished from persons who have exhausted all relevant appeal rights and have been finally determined to have no lawful basis to remain in the United Kingdom.
8. Where a person has been finally determined to have no lawful right to remain in the United Kingdom, the Government should secure their prompt removal rather than allowing prolonged residence at public expense.
9. The Council's compliance with statutory duties towards any person should not be represented as political support for further asylum dispersal or accommodation within Huntingdonshire.
This Council therefore resolves to:
1. No Sanctuary Status
That Huntingdonshire District Council:
a) shall not seek, endorse or support designation, accreditation or recognition as a Council of Sanctuary, District of Sanctuary or equivalent;
b) shall not adopt any Sanctuary charter, pledge or commitment which creates a political commitment to encourage or facilitate ... view the full agenda text for item 12.