Agenda item

At this point in the meeting, 9:55 pm, Councillor Dumont proposed and Councillor Glover-Ward seconded, a motion that the meeting would continue beyond 10 pm and until the last agenda item had been heard.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.
 

RESOLVED – that the meeting continue beyond 10 pm and until the last agenda had been heard.

Councillor Goldspink presented her motion on notice. Councillor Townsend seconded the motion and reserved his right to speak.

Councillor Deering said that the motion was well intentioned but did not feel this was under the remit of East Herts Council. He said he would be abstaining from the vote.

Councillor Redfern believed it was a council matter as it is the duty of the local authority to care for homeless people and provides money for refugees.

Councillor Devonshire agreed with the comments from Councillor Deering that it was not council business. He said he would always support helping rough sleepers but this motion would not change anything.

Councillor Daar thanked Councillor Goldspink for submitting the motion and said she supported it. She felt that the council should be telling the government that it was unacceptable.

Councillor Townsend said he noticed an increase in the number of people sleeping rough and seeking somewhere for help.

Councillor Williams said that many councils flew the Ukrainian flag when Russia invaded them and it set a precedent that councils had a duty to decide whether or not to stand up for the same people.

Councillor Goldspink said she was pleased that the East Herts Housing team had assisted in housing refugees from Ukraine. She said that the LGA had highlighted that this was an issue being faced by local authorities and said that as East Herts Council was a member of the LGA, this motion was appropriate for discussion at the meeting. She said she wanted the district and the country to be hospitable and welcoming to refugees.

RESOLVED - This Council notes with concern that the Government and the Home Office are now planning to close 50 of the hotels which are currently housing Asylum Seekers on the 1^st January 2024. It is also requiring that Asylum seekers who are now accepted as refugees should leave their hotels almost immediately.

This Council also notes that the Local Government Association (LGA) has written to the Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, expressing its concerns about the challenges which those people who are having to leave the Hotels will face in finding long term affordable accommodation. Many of those who are now refugees will be at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping.

The LGA’s Letter called for a joint and funded approach, nationally and locally, to manage the transition from asylum accommodation to independent. It also asked for a pause in asylum support cessations over the Christmas week and during extreme cold weather to reduce the risk of street homelessness.

East Herts has many Ukrainian Refugees who are looking for accommodation, and their chances of finding homes could be seriously affected by this sudden rise in the number of new refugee homeless and rough sleepers.

This Council therefore resolves to write to the Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, stating its full support for the letter which was sent by the LGA.