It was reported on 13 July that County Durham Reform councillor Dawn Bellingham, councillor for Horden and Dene House ward and cabinet member for communities and civic resilience, had submitted a proposal that there should be a pause in asylum accommodation in County Durham. As part of this submission, she cited “concerns about transparency”.
Consequently, the government is expected to face demands to block any fresh asylum accommodation in County Durham. The proposal from Councillor Bellingham is reported to highlight a lack of transparency from the government and its contractors, regarding the placement of asylum seekers in County Durham. These contractors are said to include Mears Group.
If the proposal is backed Durham County Council would seek detailed information about the number of asylum seekers expected to be accommodated, the location of the properties to be used, some indication of how long the placements will be expected to be and what it is thought the impact on local services will be.
The proposal states: “Durham County Council notes with concern the ongoing lack of transparency from government and its contractors including Mears Group, regarding the procurement and placement of accommodation for asylum seekers within County Durham”.
It has also been reported that the motion also “seeks evidence to justify any further procurement of asylum accommodation in the county”. It was not, however reported exactly what this meant, nor any evidence given as to ways in which asylum accommodation has not been transparent in the past.
Julie Ward
In response to this proposal I asked Julie Ward, a campaigner from the No to Hassockfield group and a former MEP for her thoughts on this issue:
“Reform’s call to block accommodation for people seeking sanctuary in County Durham is no surprise. Reform councillors across the country take their orders from Nigel Farage whose inflammatory anti-migrant rhetoric (as documented by Hope Not Hate) is responsible for stoking much of the division in our communities. Reform councillors would do better to work more closely with longstanding initiatives such as Durham City of Sanctuary and the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service, and the recently formed North East Anti Racist Coalition which held a packed-out meeting of local businesses and employers in Durham Town Hall, all of whom are committed to tackling the root causes of racism and to building bridges of understanding.
“Reform’s removal of both the Ukraine and Pride flags from County Hall on their first day in office demonstrated where they stand on diversity and community cohesion. Ukrainian refugees fleeing Putin’s illegal war were warmly welcomed by Durham communities from the outset and continue to play a role at local level, sharing their skills and unique cultural traditions. Meanwhile longstanding links between Durham and Ukrainian mining communities are stronger than ever, as can be witnessed at the annual Miners Gala. And let’s not forget the many Syrians fleeing Assad’s brutal attacks who have been resettled through the Durham Humanitarian Support Partnership established in 2015.
Comment
This is an interesting situation, because the proposal from Dawn Bellingham talks of a lack of transparency, yet there seems to be no evidence provided to explain just what this lack of transparency looks like.
It is clear that mistakes have been made in the past regarding the introduction and accommodation of asylum seekers in communities, but this has been largely because of a lack of information. Too often local communities have not been prepared for incoming asylum seekers, and this has allowed misinformation to spread on social media, to the detriment of all concerned, both local residents and asylum seekers.
It is vitally important therefore, that any statements or proposals from elected representatives regarding asylum seekers are clear and are backed up by hard evidence.
This is a very sensitive issue, and it is important that asylum seekers are treated as fellow humans with dignity and with humanity, even when simply discussing their housing arrangements.
Any scare mongering can have very damaging and disastrous consequences as has been seen on numerous occasions in the past.
If a councillor has specific complaints about transparency in any activity, then they really should be as specific as possible and remember that if the activity involves other people, then those people should be treated decently.
The North East has long had a reputation as a welcoming and friendly place. It seems a pity that we could lose this reputation, by simply not treating each other, including strangers coming to live among us,with humanity and decency as we have traditionally done in the past.
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