Inverness asylum seekers plan sparks Highland Council fears about safeguarding, violence and far-right demos
Highland Council fears Labour’s asylum seekers plan for Inverness could attract protesters “deliberately wishing to incite violence and hatred”.
That is the stark warning at the heart of the report to the council’s special meeting this Thursday about UK government plans to house 300 male asylum seekers at the Cameron Barracks in Inverness.
Not only is the local authority concerned about violence directed at the asylum seekers themselves, they worry for those already here who could be targeted too.
Then there is the almost too difficult issue of safeguarding the local population from any potential wrongdoing by asylum seekers.
But within this highly combustible public debate, the Home Office has offered no reassurance, no guarantee of funding for services and it has contradicted its own statements.
It outlines a catalogue of official failures including no clarity on the role of those who deliver services and whether the additional workload will be funded or not.
Things started badly with the first Home Office briefing on October 9 that was to involve Police Scotland, NHS Highland and Highland Council.
18-day consultation period
The council missed an email titled “Alternative Asylum Accommodation Plans”, it was “not seen until after the meeting had started”. NHS officials later updated council officials on the proposals.
Then an email exchange verified that “there had been no other communication in relation to this with the council before this point”.
On October 13, the political leadership were briefed by officers and on October 20 the Home Office sent out an invite to a weekly operational working group.
Council leader Raymond Bremner wrote to the Home Secretary on October 23 to express misgivings about the scale and unprecedented nature of the plan.
Four days later the government had made up its mind – so from start to finish the consultation with local bodies, according to the council, lasted 18 days.
Which helps explain the difficult situation now faced by service providers in Inverness who still say that they do not have any clear idea where they stand.
‘The role of the local authority is not yet clear’
Sections of the council report clearly challenge the version of events that asylum minister Alex Norris put forward in the House of Commons one week ago.
He said: “We have engaged with the local authorities, the health services, the police services and the fire services to ensure that the impact on the community is as light as possible.”
Yet the council states: “The role of the local authority is not yet clear. The council have not been asked, nor has there been any indication given that we have a role in any service delivery.”
It went on: “NHS Highland, Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service partners are all directly engaged with the Home Office to determine roles, responsibilities and expectations.
“It has been emphasised that additional resource must be provided in order to mitigate any local impact and strongly suggested that services must be provided on-site in order to avoid displacement of the local population.”
Yet there is no confirmation and the first asylum seekers are due to start arriving at the end of November.
Fears: Impact – Resourcing – Safeguarding – Community cohesion and hate crime
The first concern voiced by the council – and also repeated in the council leader’s unanswered letter to the Home Secretary – concerned “community impact”.
The report stated: “Highland Council politicians and officials have raised concerns regarding the scale of the proposal and the number of people to be accommodated within the setting and therefore the potential impact that may have on services and the surrounding area.
“This includes the proximity of schools and residential housing with access from the barracks to the city centre through this residential area. These issues, including access, have been raised with the Home Office.
“The Home Office have emphasised that the intention is that the barracks is self-contained and that there will be a range of activities and services on-site, there should be limited impact on services within the local community.
“With activities, including education, social and religious observance, being provided on site, the Home Office’s intention is to limit any impact upon Inverness city centre and the local community in general.”
That Home Office claim about activities contradicts its own “fact sheet” which was only issued on Friday, stating: “Key services, including accommodation, catering, and laundry, are available on-site, so while asylum seekers are free to come and go - as the site is non-detained - these essential needs are met without them having to leave.”
No mention of the “activities, including education, social and religious observance”.
Resourcing the facility is a major worry because both the council and health board are already reporting significant overspends to the end of the financial year.
But the biggest concern refers to the NHS, which is under ongoing pressure. The council report stated: “NHS colleagues are in direct discussion with the Home Office regarding the additional resources required to support the asylum seekers to ensure any impact on services is mitigated.
“At this stage it is unclear the extent to which there may be resourcing requirements relating to adult social care, mental health officers and justice social work.”
Safeguarding has been perhaps the most common concern voiced by the public - for both good reasons and bad. It is shared by council officers who “have reinforced the importance of security and safeguarding” with the Home Office.
That is to “ensure the safety and address concerns from the local population as well as security for those living at Cameron Barracks”.
With immigration of any kind, one of the most explosive issues of the day it is no surprise that “community cohesion and hate crime” is a worry for the council – as well as Police Scotland.
Council officials considered the “experiences of other areas” with asylum seekers and which “have been well documented in the media”.
They said: “In many cases they have been the focus of protests, not always peaceful, and some a target for protesters (sometimes from outwith those areas) deliberately wishing to incite violence and hatred.
“In tandem, there has been a rise in misinformation put online but also disinformation and malinformation” – the latter meaning accurate information used maliciously.
They continued: “Reports have indicated that this has impacted on both asylum seeking and local populations including violent incidents, targeting those in asylum accommodation, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, resettled families and migrants more generally.
“For this reason initial briefings were confidential and the council repeatedly requested confirmation in writing.”
Contributing to that is “the scale of the proposals for Cameron Barracks and it is vital that the experiences of elsewhere are not repeated in Highland.
“Highland has a tradition of being a welcoming area, with a strong track record in supporting people who wish to resettle here and contribute to the local economy and society.
“It is important a distinction is made between concerns about the proposals and the individuals themselves. As a community leader, Highland Council has a critical role in this along with our partners, particularly Police Scotland.”
Another letter
Ultimately, there is not much the local authority can actually do to change or otherwise direct the outcome beyond presenting its case as it admits it “has a limited role and powers in regard to the proposals”.
Consequently, the councillors will be invited to do what it has done before – write to the Home Secretary – this time from the council leader, convener and leader of the opposition.
It would seek “urgent clarity on the precise detail of the implementation plan for this proposed scheme, including relevant impact assessments undertaken”.