Local authorities should have a say in the way asylum seekers are treated when housed in their areas according to a Bathgate councillor.
Pointing to Glasgow’s proposals to run asylum seeker accommodation, Councillor Stafford suggested there had to be a better way. It was more vital than ever in the face of an increasingly chaotic and cruel UK policy towards asylum seekers. The current Westminster asylum seeker dispersal policy was no longer fit for purpose,Councillor Stafford asserted, because: “it serves neither the local authorities involved, their communities and economies or the needs and rights of asylum seekers leading to poorer outcomes for all.”
Council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick rejected the proposal and suggested that the motion meant the council was being asked “to guard the guards” in monitoring the private companies managing asylum dispersal centres including the Cairn.