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RESOLVED:
 
This Council notes:
 
· 
That the Coalition and
successive Conservative governments’ “Hostile
Environment” policies deliberately make life hard for
refugees, asylum seekers and for those who cannot prove their right
to remain in the UK.
· 
During the
Windrush 75th anniversary year, the
government is rowing back on key recommendations made by Wendy
Williams in the 2020 Lessons Learned Review: to create the post of
Migrants’ Commissioner; increase the powers of the
Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) to
publish reports; and to run a series of reconciliation events with
members of the Windrush Generation to
discuss the impact of the scandal on their lives.
· 
The Government’s
cruel treatment of the Windrush
Generation has forced many Hackney residents who were born in the
UK, to go through unnecessary amounts of distress, with some being
deported.
· 
The Council will
continue to celebrate tolerance and diversity and welcome refugees
and migrants. The Council has already welcomed refugees from
Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere, who have made Hackney
their home over the last 5 years.
· 
The Government’s
underfunding of the immigration system and the impact of migrant
and refugee communities results in delayed decision making on
applications, unjustifiably high and unreasonable fees for
immigration applications, and the harsh reality of being excluded
from fully participating in society for those who are granted leave
to remain in the UK, but who have No Recourse to Public Funds
(NRPF).
· 
The Home Office NRPF
policy is inhumane and fails to comply with the legal obligation to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It has also been
found unlawful by the High Court for the third year in a
row.
· 
That the United
Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent has
stated that, “There are barriers to accessing asylum in
advance of arrival by people of African descent. Many asylum
seekers of African descent often find themselves subject to
punitive migration controls such as detention, denial of benefits,
deportation sometimes in error, and externalisation. Their state of
precariousness is exacerbated by denial of the right to work and
basic needs such as health care, housing, and adequate
food.”
· 
That the pandemic has
brought further difficulties for refugees and migrants, including
insecure work, lack of access to decent housing and digital
exclusion.
 
This Council further notes:
 
· 
That all our
residents, no matter their nationality, call Hackney their home and
bring significant value to our borough.
· 
That Hackney
celebrates our borough’s history of being a welcoming
borough, and welcoming everybody, regardless of their background.
The Council recognises the contribution of refugees, migrants and
those seeking sanctuary to the Borough of Hackney.  We are committed to welcoming and including them
in all of our activities and actively seek ways in which we can
support them.
· 
That, throughout the
pandemic, Hackney Council’s support services were open to
anyone who needed them, no matter their immigration
status.
· 
Despite limitations
imposed by central government, Hackney Council continues to try to
find ways to support people with NRPF. 
For example, the Council has extended eligibility for free school
meals to include some children of groups who have no recourse to
public funds.
· 
The Council has called
on the Home Secretary expressing serious concerns about the
Streamline Asylum Process and the absence of resources to provide
necessary support including translation services and legal aid
provision.
· 
Mayor Glanville is a
signatory to the Migrant Democracy Statement ‘Our Homes Our
Votes’, that would see the implementation of the Scotland and
Wales model to allow all residents who have permission to enter or
stay in the UK, or who do not need permission, to have the right to
vote in local elections, including mayoral elections, in England
and Northern Ireland. The Council celebrates Refugee Week annually
and publicly shares and celebrates the contribution of refugees and
migrants in Hackney.
· 
That the Council is
committed to our refugee and migrant communities. We support the
initiative to make Hackney a recognised ‘Borough of
Sanctuary,’ welcoming those fleeing violence and persecution
and offering them safety.
 
This Council resolves to:
 
· 
Join a network of
cities and towns which promote the inclusion and welfare of people
who are fleeing violence and persecution in their own countries and
become a recognised “Borough of Sanctuary”.
· 
Continue to celebrate
the contribution of refugee and migrant communities to
Hackney.
· 
Continue to work with
organisations in Hackney who support refugees, asylum seekers and
migrants in the borough to create an inclusive and welcoming
borough for those seeking sanctuary here.
· 
Challenge anti-refugee
and anti-migrant attitudes wherever they are found.
· 
Continue to lobby the
government to reform the No Recourse to Public Funds condition so
that people are no longer blocked from fully participating in
society for years while they wait for their status to be
resolved.
· 
Continue to lobby the
Government to stop profiteering from visa fees, and to ensure that
migrant families are not financially disadvantaged by having to pay
high fees to be together
· 
We will continue to
put pressure on the Government to reverse the Home
Secretary’s plans to abandon key Commitments on the
Windrush Compensation Scheme, following
the publication of the lessons learned review, and for the Scheme
to be run independently from the Home Office.
· 
Write to the Minister
of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities requesting that the franchise for local elections be
extended in England and Northern Ireland to all qualifying foreign
nationals in line with eligibility criteria in Scotland and Wales.
This would ensure a UK-wide and fair approach so that all our
residents who are also our council tax payers are
enfranchised.
· 
Work with local
businesses and community partners to further tackle the digital
divide, provide affordable access to online services, and look at
ways to donate IT devices locally to those in need, rather than
scrapping them.
 
 
Proposer: Cllr Sophie Conway
 
Seconder: Cllr Joe Walker