Motion to block sanctuary bid voted down
BBCA motion to stop a council's application to become "a place of sanctuary" has been blocked.
The Conservative motion was voted down by Cumberland councillors at a meeting in Carlisle on Tuesday, which saw dozens of anti-immigration and anti-racism activists attend.
The Labour-led authority said joining the charity City of Sanctuary UK's network meant creating a welcoming environment for people in need of refuge, and denied claims it would lead to more asylum seekers in the area, or more money being spent on services for them.
Campaigning group Cumbria Action, which is protesting against the policy, said resources were tight and that it would keep on opposing the status.
There were about 50 people in the public gallery and many more outside who would not fit in.
It comes after councillors agreed to apply to be a "council of sanctuary" last year, joining more than 100 local authorities, including Bath and Bristol, already signed up to the scheme.
The motion stated: "The City of Sanctuary model is not a neutral badge."
Conservative councillor Gareth Ellis, who proposed the motion, said: "We're seeing the responses to surveys and things, and now illegal migration is one of people's top concerns."
Chris Allen from Cumbria Action, which says it wants to "unite our community", added: "Resources are tight at the moment.
"I think additional people, that perhaps need such intensive care and funding, [are] bad for our county and bad for the local people."
Opposing the motion, the council's deputy leader Lisa Hinton said there was "absolutely no evidence at all that smuggling gangs are using anything that Cumberland Council says to pull people across".
Meanwhile, Labour councillor Michael Eldon said his ward Cleator Moor had welcomed people for centuries, including Irish, Polish, Italian, Ukrainian, Indian, Pakistani people, and many others.
He added: "I will not support anything that divides our communities or fuels hatred."
When the motion was put to a recorded vote, 34 members were against it with 10 in favour, which meant it failed.
Additional reporting by Ian Duncan, Local Democracy Reporting Service
