Green Councillor Caroline Russell proposed a motion to Islington Council last night to take in a number of Syrian refugees using the government’s Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme as proposed by Citizens UK in December.
Islington Labour squashed the motion with an amendment that deleted the action to take in a mere 50 refugees and instead proposed a motion that contained no concrete action to support Syrian families.
Cllr Caroline Russell said “Islington Council had an opportunity last night to take a leading role in resettling desperate Syrian refugees. In the current climate of discrimination against migrants, supposedly progressive councils like Islington should be taking a leading role in enabling families to escape the most desperate war-torn conditions.”
“Instead, Islington Labour lined up to refuse council housing to refugees on the grounds they were “not local”. Labour also apparently assumed that refugees would be a financial burden on the council ignoring the fact that refugee families contribute economically, socially and culturally: indeed several Islington Councillors themselves come from refugee families.
With the will and the vision, Islington Council can and should respond immediately to this devastating humanitarian crisis.”
Islington Green campaigner, Ernestas Jegorovas added “As a former refugee myself, I found it disappointing to see Islington Labour councillors saying that taking on this very small number of people was impossible. The Labour party should be standing up for the most vulnerable in our society, not turning them away. The needs of refugees are urgent and our voices must be heard.”
Footnotes:
Detail how VPR scheme works https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/vulnerable-persons-relocation-scheme-for-syrian-nationals
Government report including employment outcomes for refugees https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/116062/horr37-report.pdf
Link to Green motion (see page 14) http://democracy.islington.gov.uk/documents/g2251/Public reports pack 26th-Mar-2015 19.30 Council.pdf?T=10
Link to Labour amendment (see page 3) http://democracy.islington.gov.uk/documents/b8244/Second Despatch 26th-Mar-2015 19.30 Council.pdf?T=9