The City Mayor will answer questions raised by members of the Overview Select Committee on issues not covered elsewhere on the agenda.
Minutes:
1. Question from the Chair, Councillor Cassidy: “We support the City Mayor and Executive statement of 19 August welcoming those seeking refuge from the awful situation in Afghanistan and question the underfunding by the Government of the ‘refugee and asylum system’.
Please can you provide detail of plans to date made by the City Council and our partners in respect of the resettling of Afghan Refugees in Leicester? And can we ask that updates be brought back to OSC and that more focused work on particular strands of the resettlement programme be carried out in due course by relevant scrutiny commissions?
The City Mayor responded that he intended to make sure that there were regular updates at OSC and other scrutiny meetings as necessary on this situation. The City Mayor also undertook to provide all members with an update in writing.
It was also noted that:
· The City already had a few hundred people from Afghanistan who had made Leicester there home over last decade.
· The Council had committed to finding ten homes for larger Afghan families with a commitment from the government to financially support that.
· Currently there were 76 people including 23 children staying in a hotel in the City.
· Council officers were doing everything possible to ascertain their positions, but the Home Office had not yet put in place a full process.
· Representative from the local Afghan community had been met and they were keen to help and provide support to those coming here and they had given advice and officers were developing their willingness to engage
· Health and wellbeing checks had been carried out and the 76 refugees visited and provided with GP details. Officers were on hand to help too.
· Contact had also been made with Fire services and the council Health & Safety to ensure appropriate safety standards were being met where the people were placed.
· It was not clear at moment whether their cultural needs have properly been assessed and were being met, however it had been impressed on officers that those needs should be addressed as well.
· Of 23 children 15 were in school, it was uncertain how many remaining were school age and that was being checked.
· Adult education service was also offering support with ESOL.
· One issue was financial support whilst there. The hotel had access to government support which allowed full board, but the council had been told there were no funds for personal items such as clothing, nappies, sanitary items etc so that was also being checked. It had been suggested that the government were providing pre-loaded credit cards, again this was something that needed to be checked.
· Officers had been proactive with VCS and faith sectors and there are some particular VCS and charities giving support to refugees in leicester and those are all welcome offers of help.
· The Home Office would continue to be pressed to provide necessary wrap around support as this was an area of concern and Members would be kept up to date.
The Chair thanked the City Mayor for his response and indicated that this would be taken as a standing item on the OSC agenda for next 6 months to receive regular updates.
Members sought clarity on the schemes that would be supporting the refugees, the number of children being placed in schools and the number of refugees being homed.
The City Mayor confirmed that the refugees were being supported through the Vulnerable Person Scheme and the National Asylum scheme, the council was committed at this stage to provide homes for 10 larger Afghan families. Separate to that there were 76 people in hotels in the City and the immediate focus was that those 76 people were being properly supported, of those 15 were children in school and 8 others were being checked on whether they were of school age.
Members suggested that until the complex needs of the 76 people were known that the council could perhaps support each from community ward funds. The City Mayor rebutted that suggestion as the Home Office were responsible for finances and the funding should be with government not with the council or local people.
The Chief Operating Officer Alison Greenhill advised that the refugees placed in Leicester had been placed through the temporary bridging scheme whilst more permanent homes were found, that may or may not be in Leicester. Through the Home Office the council would ascertain where they wanted to live. Home Office agreements with hotels had been made without consulting local authorities so money was not only key issue, wrap around support was about longevity and for those that settle in Leicester to have wider community support. The council had made a generous offer to the Home Office and would support those families that choose to settle in Leicester.
2. Question from Councillor Porter “regarding the Haymarket, this has been an issue for many years. Can we have an update on where things are now regarding the Haymarket?”
The City Mayor responded that the Haymarket Theatre issue was one that dated from the creation of the Curve and had been difficult. Bringing the Haymarket back into use had been broadly welcomed and at a tiny cost compared to the Curve or a new building. The Haymarket was remarkably good value for money, and it was unfortunate that the consortium was so adversely affected by the pandemic and hadn’t had an opportunity before that to build up any financial reserves.
At the moment the council was inviting people who had shown an interest to firm up their proposals and looking forwards as there was more opening up following the pandemic to try and reopen the building to the public.
The Chair thanked the City Mayor for responding to questions.