Kelly Morgan
BBC Wiltshire political reporter
BBC
Labour Councillor Repi Begum shared her lived experience during a heated debate
Conservative councillors were heckled with shouts of “shame” during a council debate on asylum housing.
The motion, which failed to pass, proposed the Cabinet produce a report on how Swindon can avoid its housing stock from being used to house asylum seekers, saying working Swindon people feel like “second class citizens”.
Council Leader Jim Robbins said there are no asylum seekers in council properties calling the proposal “poorly thought out”.
During the debate which included several passionate speeches, Labour Councillor Repi Begum, spoke about her lived experience and called the arguments from the opposition “racist tropes” – something that was denied.
Councillor Daniel Adams said debate is important to avoid social unrest
The motion was proposed by Conservative Councillor Daniel Adams and seconded by fellow Tory Councillor Gayle Cook who said that local people should be “put first” adding “charity starts at home”.
Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors voted unanimously against the motion with 12 Conservatives voting for it – resulting in it failing to pass.
Mr Adams also asked for £238,000 of council money to be put into local services and not into housing asylum seekers.
Mr Robbins said this money is used for emergency accommodation which prioritises Swindon families with children but that also includes giving those granted a right to remain in the UK a temporary home whilst permanent accommodation is found.
Adding that he was “really pleased the motion was defeated” and that he was “proud” of Swindon’s history of “welcoming people from all over the world”.
Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said the motion was “poorly thought out”
During the debate references were made to the youth of Swindon being unable to afford housing or rent in the area.
Ms Begum said using arguments like “our children can’t get homes is an age-old racist trope – they’re taking our homes”.
“When people hear leaders using that language it allows the average Joe Bloggs to act up and that’s why we had the race riots of Summer 2024,” she added.
“It endangers people like me, a third generation Brit, a hard working, law abiding, higher rate tax paying, decent, civilised human being who happens to be British – like it or not.”
After several arguments for and against the motion, Mr Adams, said: “I never mentioned race once, I’m truly shocked, it’s this rhetoric that’s designed to shutdown debate and lead to the issues we’re seeing on our streets today.”
Ms Begum closed the debate by saying: “When you say this isn’t about racism, you haven’t been attacked with a baseball bat walking down the street because politicians like you decide to tell who has a right to be here and who hasn’t got a right to be here.”
PA Media
Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said building more houses is part of the solution
In a recent report by the BBC the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds said the government shared the public’s “huge frustration” at the pressure the asylum system puts on housing supply.
He acknowledged concern about the Home Office competing with local councils to find temporary homes for asylum seekers and homeless people respectively.
He said the solution lay in building more homes, processing asylum applications faster, removing those with no right to be in the UK and cutting small boat crossings.