Cambridge City councillors stand with colleagues across the country opposing plans to lock up refugees
Cambridge Greens are joining the battle against new asylum laws.
Over 200 local councillors from across the UK and from different political parties have pledged to fight for all of their residents – including those seeking asylum – in the face of government plans to house people on old barges and former prisons.
They have signed an open letter ahead of a Government bill going before the House of Lords on Tuesday [April 25].
The proposed legislation would see children and pregnant people locked behind bars – a policy described as abhorrent by charities and housing organisations – and would amount to an effective ban on the right to claim asylum.
Naomi Bennett and Dr Hannah Copley, Green representatives for Abbey ward, have put their names to the letter.
Cllr Bennett said: “My grandpa came here from Krakow in 1901 as a lone refugee. He was so proud of his adopted country’s tolerance and decency. He used to call England the best country in the world. He would be so sad at this horrible inhumane policy.”
The open letter from the group of local councillors strikes the same tone. It reads: “As a group of local councillors from across the UK – and from different political parties – we are appalled by this Government’s latest abhorrent plans for people seeking sanctuary in our communities.
“The Home Office is recklessly endangering people’s lives by placing them in accommodation that is manifestly unsafe, and leaving them at the mercy of private companies that treat them as commodities.
“We will stand up for everyone in our communities, and fight for their right to housing that is safe and welcoming.
“The Home Office’s calculated strategy of division and disdain will not work – our communities, and their care for one another, are stronger than that.
“As local councillors, we pledge to work tirelessly for the good of all our communities, to ensure that all our residents can live safely and with dignity.”
The councillors are from 51 different local authorities from across the UK, and have pledged to stand up for their communities and use council powers to ensure that all residents – including those seeking asylum – are supported.
The government is currently at loggerheads with several local authorities over asylum accommodation plans, and is attempting to push through emergency legislation to allow it to shortcut council planning processes.
Local authorities have a broad set of decision-making powers, and resistance from councillors to the latest asylum plans could cause further headaches for central government.
Councillor Dr Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini of the Migrant Champions Network, the organisation supporting the letter, said, “The fact is that communities up and down the country want to stand in solidarity with people seeking sanctuary, and provide them a warm welcome.
“And it’s clear that councillors from across the country are equally committed to making sure that people arriving here have the support they need.
“But decisions taken by central government too often make that impossible. We hope that the Government will listen to the voices of these councillors, and equip local communities to provide a warm welcome, instead of pursuing an agenda of hostility and division, and lining the pockets of private companies.”
The full text of the letter and list of signatories is available here.