Agenda item

9.1

It was moved by Councillor Alexi Dimond, and seconded by Councillor Maleiki Haybe, that this Council:-

(a)        notes that:-

(i)       Sheffield, the UK’s first City of Sanctuary, has a proud history of welcoming people seeking safety;

(ii)       the climate crisis increases the risk of displacing people;

(iii)      the Illegal Migration Bill in Parliament has already been voted through by the majority of the House of Commons;

(iv)      people seeking safety, including children, will be effectively detained in camps, barges, large-scale institutional accommodation, containment sites; segregated from communities, and denied support and threatened with removal to Rwanda; and

(v)      over 500 charities and faith groups have signed a pledge to ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’, including at least 7 local groups such as City of Sanctuary Sheffield, ASSIST Sheffield, DEWA, South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG) and Sheffield Association for the Voluntary Teaching of English (SAVTE);

(b)        believes that:-

(i)       everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly;

(ii)       the Government’s anti-refugee laws deny internationally recognised rights and will create ever-longer delays in the asylum process;

(iii)      the UK needs an asylum system that empowers people seeking safety to rebuild their lives, not segregated but housed as our neighbours, enabling communities to welcome them; and

(iv)      the Illegal Migration Bill punishes people and will effectively destroy the right to seek safety in the UK; and

(c)        resolves to:-

(i)       sign the ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ pledge and join the “Lift the Ban” coalition;

(ii)       use our powers to ensure migrants do not suffer lengthy stays in temporary, sub-standard or far-distant accommodation;

(iii)      ask the Chief Executive to make representations to HM Government expressing this Council’s deep concern about the impact of the new housing regulations¹;

(iv)      call on the Government to withdraw the UK-Rwanda agreement, repeal the Nationality and Borders Act and Illegal Migration Bill;

(v)      call on the Government to recognise the impact of climate change as a legitimate reason to seek safety;

(vi)      reaffirm our status as a City of Sanctuary, and work with the Local Authorities of Sanctuary network to ensure we are meeting the accreditation criteria;

(vii)     investigate ways to fund advice to asylum seekers which was previously delivered by the Sheffield Law Centre;

(viii)    work in partnership with organisations and people with lived experience of the asylum system to identify strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of government policies within Sheffield; and

(ix)      introduce a Councillor ‘Migrant Champion’ who would:-

(A)    be a point of contact for migrants, community groups and organisations to raise concerns;

(B)    seek to ensure council services are open and available to migrants who need them;

(C)    seek to ensure that the Council is not sharing information about individual migrants in the area with the Government unless there is a lawful basis for doing so; and

(D)    seek to make sure the needs of vulnerable migrants are met.

¹ Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (Amendment) (England) Order 2022, (SI 521/2022), as amended by the 2023 order which extends the effect of the Regulations until 1 June 2024.

9.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Mike Levery, and seconded by Councillor Ann Whitaker, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the addition of the words “, as climate change is a contributing and exacerbating factor in migration and conflict”, at the end of sub-paragraph (a)(ii);

2.       the deletion of sub-paragraph (a)(v) and the addition of new sub-paragraphs (a)(v) and (vi) as follows:-

(v)      a pledge to ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ has received national support by Labour, the Green Party, and the Liberal Democrats; and

(vi)      Sheffield City Council is the regulator for residential property in the City, including Home Office accommodation and that suitable education is provided;

3.       the deletion of sub-paragraph (b)(iii), the re-lettering of sub-paragraph (b)(iv) as a new sub-paragraph (b)(iii), and the addition of new sub-paragraphs (b)(iv) and (v) as follows:-

(iv)      the UK must fix our broken asylum system, including through significantly improving the time taken to process applicants by removing asylum powers from the Home Office and granting them to a new dedicated unit, and providing safe and legal routes to sanctuary for refugees from all countries; and

(v)      the streamlined asylum processing model concentrates on asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria, and Yemen - this should be extended to all countries where refugees are displaced, such as Lebanon;

4.       the addition of new sub-paragraphs (c)(vii) and (viii) as follows, and the re-lettering of the original sub-paragraphs (c)(vii) and (viii) as new sub-paragraphs (ix) & (x):-

(vii)     call on the Government to set a clear target for processing future asylum claims;

(viii)    call on the Government to ensure that families who have children settled in schools are no longer required to move accommodation;

5.       the deletion of the original sub-paragraph (c)(ix) and the addition of a new sub-paragraph (c)(xi) as follows:-

(xi)      make all councillors aware of the Council’s Asylum and Migration Team, who coordinate with education services and facilitate meetings with the Home Office and contracted Home Office accommodation.

9.3

It was then formally moved by Councillor Angela Argenzio, and formally seconded by Councillor Martin Phipps, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the addition of a new sub-paragraph (c)(iv) as follows, and the re-lettering of original sub-paragraphs (c)(iv) to (ix) as new sub-paragraphs (c)(v) to (x):-

(c)(iv)  request that the Housing Policy Committee considers adding to its work programme an item on Council powers and resources to protect migrants from discriminatory housing regulations, upholding locally defined standards and inspection processes;

2.       the deletion of new sub-paragraph (c)(x)(C) [original sub-paragraph (c)(ix)(C)] and the re-lettering of sub-paragraph (c)(x)(D) as a new sub-paragraph (c)(x)(C); and

3.       the addition of a new sub-paragraph (c)(xi) as follows:-

(c)(xi)  requests that the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee considers adding to its work programme consideration of the Council’s relationship with the Home Office and immigration enforcement, and an assessment of its current practices and the impact of the Hostile Environment policy on inclusion, equality and cohesion in Sheffield.

9.4

After contributions from four other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Alexi Dimond, the amendment moved by Councillor Mike Levery was put to the vote and was carried in part. Parts 1, 2 and 4 of the amendment were carried, and Parts 3 and 5 of the amendment were lost.

9.4.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 57 Members; AGAINST - 12 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 1 Member.  Although Labour Group Members voted for, they voted against Parts 3 and 5 of the amendment. Although Councillor Lewis Chinchen abstained, he voted for the new sub-paragraph (a)(vi) in Part 2 of the amendment, the new sub-paragraph (c)(viii) in Part 4 of the amendment, and Part 5 of the amendment.)

9.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Angela Argenzio was then put to the vote and was carried.

9.5.1

(NOTE: Councillor Lewis Chinchen voted for Part 2 of the amendment and abstained from voting on Parts 1 and 3 of the amendment, and asked for his vote to be recorded.)

9.6

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)      notes that:-

(i)       Sheffield, the UK’s first City of Sanctuary, has a proud history of welcoming people seeking safety;

(ii)       the climate crisis increases the risk of displacing people, as climate change is a contributing and exacerbating factor in migration and conflict;

(iii)      the Illegal Migration Bill in Parliament has already been voted through by the majority of the House of Commons;

(iv)      people seeking safety, including children, will be effectively detained in camps, barges, large-scale institutional accommodation, containment sites; segregated from communities, and denied support and threatened with removal to Rwanda;

(v)      a pledge to ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ has received national support by Labour, the Green Party, and the Liberal Democrats; and

(vi)      Sheffield City Council is the regulator for residential property in the City, including Home Office accommodation and that suitable education is provided;

(b)      believes that:-

(i)       everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly;

(ii)       the Government’s anti-refugee laws deny internationally recognised rights and will create ever-longer delays in the asylum process;

(iii)      the UK needs an asylum system that empowers people seeking safety to rebuild their lives, not segregated but housed as our neighbours, enabling communities to welcome them; and

(iv)      the Illegal Migration Bill punishes people and will effectively destroy the right to seek safety in the UK; and

(c)      resolves to:-

(i)       sign the ‘Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws’ pledge and join the “Lift the Ban” coalition;

(ii)       use our powers to ensure migrants do not suffer lengthy stays in temporary, sub-standard or far-distant accommodation;

(iii)      ask the Chief Executive to make representations to HM Government expressing this Council’s deep concern about the impact of the new housing regulations¹;

(iv)      request that the Housing Policy Committee considers adding to its work programme an item on Council powers and resources to protect migrants from discriminatory housing regulations, upholding locally defined standards and inspection processes;

(v)      call on the Government to withdraw the UK-Rwanda agreement, repeal the Nationality and Borders Act and Illegal Migration Bill;

(vi)      call on the Government to recognise the impact of climate change as a legitimate reason to seek safety;

(vii)     reaffirm our status as a City of Sanctuary, and work with the Local Authorities of Sanctuary network to ensure we are meeting the accreditation criteria;

(viii)    call on the Government to set a clear target for processing future asylum claims;

(ix)      call on the Government to ensure that families who have children settled in schools are no longer required to move accommodation;

(x)      investigate ways to fund advice to asylum seekers which was previously delivered by the Sheffield Law Centre;

(xi)      work in partnership with organisations and people with lived experience of the asylum system to identify strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of government policies within Sheffield;

(xii)     introduce a Councillor ‘Migrant Champion’ who would:-

(A)    be a point of contact for migrants, community groups and organisations to raise concerns;

(B)    seek to ensure council services are open and available to migrants who need them; and

(C)    seek to make sure the needs of vulnerable migrants are met; and

(xiii)    requests that the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee considers adding to its work programme consideration of the Council’s relationship with the Home Office and immigration enforcement, and an assessment of its current practices and the impact of the Hostile Environment policy on inclusion, equality and cohesion in Sheffield.

¹ Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (Amendment) (England) Order 2022, (SI 521/2022), as amended by the 2023 order which extends the effect of the Regulations until 1 June 2024.

9.6.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 71 Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 0 Members.  Although Liberal Democrat Group Members voted for, they voted against sub-paragraph(c)(xii) of the Substantive Motion. Although Councillor Lewis Chinchen voted for, he voted against sub-paragraphs (a)(iv), (b)(ii), (b)(iv), (c)(i), (c)(iii), (c)(v) & (c)(vi), and abstained from voting on sub-paragraphs (a)(ii), (a)(v), (c)(iv), (c)(viii), (c)(xi) and (c)(xiii) of the Substantive Motion.)