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Green Councillors across Cherwell have significant concerns about the surprise government announcement to house 1250 men seeking asylum at the Ministry of Defence facility near Piddington in the Bicester area.
District Councillors were only informed of this around 5 hours before it was publicly announced, giving members and officers no time to plan a response. It seems likely that part of the reason for that was that no details were available beyond the basic idea. The fact that the public announcement came in the middle of the night at 10.30pm demonstrates a further degree of tone deafness from those concerned.
The lack of proper engagement and consultation with local residents and the Council demonstrates a high-handed and top-down approach which runs contrary to the government’s stated aims to devolve more power to local authorities. It appears to be yet another ill-conceived project from a government that creates policy on the fly with little consideration for the impacts of its decisions on local residents or their representatives.
Much as we all appreciate that we need to do play our part in dealing with the national issue of asylum requests, and most people are keen to help refugees, proposals to house large numbers of men in confined in concentrated areas across the country are both inhumane and unjustified.
The motivation is presumably part of the government’s commitment to reduce the use of hotels to house refugees, but creating facilities like these would seem to be little better, more costly and are guaranteed to generate the same degree of local concern.
Welfare and other facilities near the site are non-existent as it is a mostly a derelict storage facility. The costs of renovating it and building residential facilities are likely to be far higher than other alternatives such as providing housing within communities as part of a more integrated and inclusive approach. If refugees were also permitted to work while they wait for their asylum claims to be considered, they could also contribute positively to our economy rather than being forced to rely on state handouts to survive.
The lack of welfare and other local facilities in the area concerned is also likely to impose additional strains on local infrastructure and amenities. Whilst there are some vague proposals about community benefits for both the refugees and the local community, no details have been provided about those or about security and other concerns to ensure the safety and welfare of both local residents and the people being housed.
These people are seeking sanctuary in our country after fleeing oppression, war and torture. They should not be housed in military style facilities which are likely to be a reminder of the conditions they faced in their home countries. I know many residents have welcomed refugees into their communities, but this proposal sets a very different tone.
The concerns of local residents must be acknowledged and the government challenged on the viability of these plans. However, we must be careful that residents and those being potentially forcibly housed in this facility are both treated with respect, kindness and compassion.
People seeking asylum have already suffered greatly and deserve compassion and support. They should not be made to feel unwanted and be caught in the middle of further protests. We must remember it’s not their choice to be forced to leave their own communities and be sent to these sorts of facilities.
Contrary to the usual mantra, these people are not ‘illegal immigrants’ even if they arrive on our shores by unconventional means. They have all made legal claims for asylum and are entitled to remain here while those claims are assessed. Government needs to redouble their efforts to process such claims in a timely manner as well as creating safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to enter the country. Doing so will largely mitigate the need for emergency housing facilities and reduce the number of people coming here on small boats and by other means.
We call on ministers to immediately provide full details of these proposals as well as to engage with local residents about their viability, suitability and compatibility with existing local communities. We also strongly advocate a proper process of consultation along with a commitment that the concerns of local communities will be taken seriously and addressed as a matter of urgency.
Cllr Ian Middleton – Leader of the Cherwell District Council Green Group.