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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have tonight, 15 September, agreed to join the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network and commit to working towards formal recognition as a 'Council of Sanctuary'. It follows a council meeting in July when councillors agreed for a report to be brought back to the Active and Healthy Communities committee.
Just over a week ago a group called 'Local's First' held a rally in Newry city centre in opposition to the council's plans while on the same day a counter rally was also held.
Slieve Gullion Councillor Declan Murphy proposed that they agree to join the network. Speaking after the meeting Cllr Murphy said “Joining this network sends a clear message that our district stands with those in need. We won’t allow fear or division to define our future.
Cllr Jackson added "We're in the middle of an immigration crisis, and those parties that choose to ignore this issue or stay silent are simply not living in reality. Public services are already at breaking point, whether it be health service or the education service or the Department of Infrastructure. Families that have special needs children can't even get primary school places for their kids, as there's no facilities due to budget constraints. If you asked those parents where our priority should be, they would certainly give you, give you an answer. I don't believe that there is support amongst our ratepayers in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council for a council of sanctuary and they have genuine concerns about the impact of illegal and uncontrolled immigration and the impact that that is having within their communities."
He concluded " I just think people have really had enough of this kind of nonsense, so I therefore will not be supporting this report tonight"
Newry city Councillor Doire Finn said the report brought before councillors acted as a tool to counter some of the myths and disinformation online over the past few months. "The Council of Sanctuary network will position the council to be at the forefront of best practice across the UK and Ireland, aligning it with other leading organisations in Northern Ireland that have already received sanctuary awards, such as Queen's University, Belfast, Belfast, Health and Social Care Trust and over 42 schools." said Cllr Finn.
Cllr Finn added "Asylum seekers who do choose to come here are not living in five star or luxury hotels. They are accommodated in designated hotels, the number of which in Northern Ireland is currently three and none are located within our council area. Asylum support consists of a standard weekly rate of £49.18 which reduces to £8.86 per week for someone having their meals provided to them. As of March, 2024 there were 63 people in receipt of asylum support in Newry, Mourne and Down. As a council, we will not and do not determine immigration status. That rule, again, lies with the UK Home Office. However, it is important to point out that seeking asylum is not illegal under international law."
The Newry city councillor added that concerns had been brought to her regarding housing, education and health care but that while she had the same concerns their solutions lay within the remit of the Stormont Executive.
"Since 2017 Stormont has been collapsed for five years with the challenges of Covid to deal with in between. Things have not improved since the return of the executive and people are well within their rights to be angry about this, because I'm angry too.
"Our health waiting lists are among some of some of the worst in Europe with no credible plan to fix them. Patients can't get access to GP services. Families here are still paying the highest costs of childcare across the UK and Ireland, and there's still no comprehensive scheme in plan in place to address this. Children with special educational needs are left without support and school places, while the minister last week, dedicated time towards diluting rights of another fragile minority in Northern Ireland. In 2024 - 2025 1504 social homes were started, well below the executive target of around 2000 and our wastewater infrastructure crisis continues to be a major obstacle in tackling our housing crisis." said Cllr Finn.
She continued "I could go on and on and on. However, the point here is that the frustrations that I and so many others feel regarding our public services are not the remit of this council, nor are they caused by the people choosing to make their home in our district. They remain within the remit of an executive that is failing to deliver for people."
Cllr Finn added "This proposal this evening, seeks to continue making our district a welcoming and open place, something that I already know Newry to be, and know it will be in the future. Newry, Mourne and Down is home to people from many different walks of life and dozens of nationalities.
"These people are not only our neighbours and friends, but they work in our schools, they staff our GP surgeries, care for our loved ones and help keep our local hospital open, and in fact, our health and social care system, stretched as it is, simply would not function without the dedication of people from a wide range of ethnic, cultural and national backgrounds.
We owe them more than just thanks. We owe them dignity and respect. Newry is a city proud of all of our residents, all of those people who make our communities what they are, and the SDLP will continue to celebrate and support this."
At tonights meeting councillors voted 12 for, 2 against, 1 abstention and 1 absent.
