Call to shut down asylum seeker housing rejected.
A proposal to close temporary shelters for asylum seekers has been rejected.
Conservatives on Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council summoned an extraordinary meeting and asked officers to write to the government requesting “an immediate review of all asylum seekers” and “shut down” temporary accommodation units.
However, a counter-proposal by the Labour group was approved on the chairman’s casting vote following a 15-15 deadlock between the two parties.
The conference was held in response to recent community concerns when two men, believed to be Afghan asylum seekers, denied charges in connection with the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.
The meeting, which lasted more than three hours, saw councillors consider two motions, with disturbances from the public gallery prompting the chairman, mayor Bhim Saru, to threaten two people with ejection.
The first Conservative motion called for a scrutiny meeting with representatives from the Home Office, Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire County Council, and Serco.
‘Detention and deportation’
Despite resistance from the 15 Labour councillors, it passed with 18 votes: 15 Conservatives, two Green councillors, and one independent.
As part of the second motion, the Conservatives sought “detention and deportation of asylum seekers or illegal immigrants” who were not in the country legally, as well as legislation to exempt “all asylum claims” from the Human Rights Act.
Labour’s winning counter-proposal promises to considering new planning policies to assess the suitability of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).
The amendment also demands a report from the Home Office and Serco, the corporation that manages the HMOs, “regarding the number and location of asylum seekers” as well as the rationale for placement.
It also commits to requesting that the government enable asylum applicants to work while their cases are processed.
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