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Councillors and committees

Agenda item

Notice of Motion

(to consider any notices of motion submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.1)

 

(A)Notice of Motion - Gender Recognition

(B)Notice of Motion - Asylum Seekers: Lift the Ban Coalition

 

Minutes:

 

Councillor John Adams moved the following motion:

 

This Council:

 

(a)  notes that:

 

(i)            since 2002, people seeking asylum have only able to apply for the right to work after they have been waiting for a decision on their asylum claim for over a year, and only if they can be employed into one of the narrow, highly-skilled professions included on the Government’s Shortage Occupation List;

 

(ii)          people seeking asylum are left to live on £5.39 per day, struggling to support themselves and their families, and left vulnerable to destitution, isolation, and exploitation;

 

(iii)         the potential foregone economic gain for the UK economy of allowing people to work is estimated to be £42.4million via increased taxable income and reduced payments of accommodation/subsistence support;

 

(iv)         71% of people polled agreed with the statement: “when people come to the UK seeking asylum it is important they integrate, learn English and get to know people. It would help integration if asylum-seekers were allowed to work if their claim takes more than six months to process”;

(b)  believes that:

(i)        people seeking asylum want to be able to work so that they can use their skills and make the most of their potential, integrate into their communities, and provide for themselves and their families;

(ii)       restrictions on right to work can lead to extremely poor mental health outcomes, and a waste of potentially invaluable talents and skills both for the economy of Gateshead and the UK;

(iii)       allowing people seeking asylum the right to work would therefore lead to positive outcomes for those seeking asylum in Gateshead and for the local and national economy;

(c)  resolves to:

 

(i)            join the Lift the Ban Coalition, which is campaigning to restore the right to work for everyone waiting for more than 6 months for a decision on their asylum claim: and

(ii)          call on the UK Government to give people seeking asylum the right to work unconstrained by the shortage occupation list after they have waited six months for a decision on their initial asylum claim or further submission.

Councillor Kevin McClurey moved the following amendment:

 

Remove all after “resolves to:” and replace with:

 

            (i)         Join the Lift the Ban Coalition, which is campaigning to restore                     the right to work for everyone waiting for more than 6 months for              a decision on their asylum claim, and to go further and call on                  the UK Government to give the right to work to everyone who                         has been waiting for 3 months for a decision on their initial                             asylum claim.

(ii)           Call on the UK Government to give people seeking asylum the right to work unconstrained by the shortage occupation list after they have waited three months for a decision on their initial asylum claim or further submission.

On the amendment being put, it was defeated.

 

The original motion was put as the substantive motion and duly carried.

 

COUNCIL RESOLVED:

 

This Council:

 

(a)  notes that:

 

(i)          since 2002, people seeking asylum have only able to apply for          the right to work after they have been waiting for a decision on         their asylum claim for over a year, and only if they can be          employed into one of the narrow, highly-skilled professions       included on the Government’s Shortage Occupation List;

 

            (ii)        people seeking asylum are left to live on £5.39 per day,                                  struggling to support themselves and their families, and left                                  vulnerable to destitution, isolation, and exploitation;

 

(iii)          the potential foregone economic gain for the UK economy of allowing people to work is estimated to be £42.4million via increased taxable income and reduced payments of accommodation/subsistence support;

 

(iv)          71% of people polled agreed with the statement: “when people come to the UK seeking asylum it is important they integrate, learn English and get to know people. It would help integration if asylum-seekers were allowed to work if their claim takes more than six months to process”;

(b)  believes that:

(i)        people seeking asylum want to be able to work so that they can use their skills and make the most of their potential, integrate into their communities, and provide for themselves and their families;

(ii)       restrictions on right to work can lead to extremely poor mental health outcomes, and a waste of potentially invaluable talents and skills both for the economy of Gateshead and the UK;

(iii)       allowing people seeking asylum the right to work would therefore lead to positive outcomes for those seeking asylum in Gateshead and for the local and national economy;

(c)  resolves to:

 

(i)          join the Lift the Ban Coalition, which is campaigning to restore           the right to work for everyone waiting for more than 6 months for      a decision on their asylum claim: and

 

(ii)           call on the UK Government to give people seeking asylum the right to work unconstrained by the shortage occupation list after they have waited six months for a decision on their initial asylum claim or further submission.

 

Supporting documents:

 

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