Council calls on Government to clear asylum backlog

The resolution was adopted at a meeting of the council held last night (24 September).

During debate, councillors recognised that families of migrants seeking refuge were being supported in Rugby and thanked the work of agencies and volunteers supporting these families and children. They also welcomed the existing controls the council has in place that allow communities to have a say on the density of Houses of Multiple Occupation in the borough, along with a proposed further strengthening of those safeguards coming forward in the emerging Local Plan.

In a speech to councillors, Cllr Claire Edwards, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for Communities, Homes, Regulation and Safety, highlighted the first Syrian families who came to Rugby in 2012 who are now settled and contributing to the economy through their jobs and taxes and are valued members of the community. She also said that families from Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan had also been welcomed and well-supported.

She added: “Whilst [migrants seeking asylum] are here in Rugby we need to treat them with the British values we all hold dear – that of compassion, of tolerance, of respect and dignity in the way that  everyone in this chamber expects to be treated and expects to treat other people in our community, whether they are new to Rugby or just passing through.

“That does not mean we continue as usual, but to urge better dialogue, quicker asylum decision making and that everyone is subject to the same rules that we have, which means keeping women and girls safe.”

Cllr Isabelle McKenzie, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "No one gains from the current situation of asylum hotels. Our communities don't benefit, the asylum seekers don't benefit and the country doesn't benefit.

"Cutting the wait time for decisions from years to months will remove the need for asylum hotels and get those who are genuine asylum seekers a chance to work and integrate into our communities.

"This is why we are calling on the government to cut the wait times, remove the backlog and treat this as an emergency."

The resolution, as adopted, was:

Council resolves: 

(1) To request that the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Council's legal team, seeks up to date external legal advice regarding the use of hotels as asylum accommodation and the options available to the Council regarding the further use of local hotels as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. 
(2) To call on the Government to further develop a sustainable, properly planned, and community consulted approach to asylum accommodation and continue its work to tackle irregular immigration and specifically its work to tackle the criminal organised gangs in the Channel putting people’s lives at risk. 
(3) To call on the Government to implement an urgent programme to clear the 70,000 asylum-claim backlog so that the hotels and other asylum accommodation becomes redundant and can be returned to community use.