“At this pivotal moment, local authorities have an opportunity to speak up, with the courage of their convictions, and reject this anti-migrant rhetoric once and for all.”
Mary Atkinson, Migrant Champions Network
The anti-migrant rhetoric we’re continuing to see splashed across our TV screens and social media feeds is not just words – it has very real, very frightening consequences for migrants and people of colour up and down the country. Alison Vyas, a mother from Caerphilly, recently told a Question Time panel in her home town of feeling unsafe in the place where has lived her whole life, and having to beg her son not to go to certain places for fear he might be attacked. That fear is all too real – horrendous incidents of violence, including sexual violence, are plaguing our streets, a direct result of the normalisation of racist and anti-migrant rhetoric.
Local authorities have a duty to respond. Local councillors know their communities incredibly well, and are trusted spokespeople. Further, as public bodies, local authorities have a duty under the Public Sector Equality Duty to foster good relations between communities in their patch. At this pivotal moment, local authorities have an opportunity to speak up, with the courage of their convictions, and reject this anti-migrant rhetoric once and for all. But this is also a moment for action – there are so many practical things local authorities can do to turn down the political temperature and bring communities together.
Labour has by far the largest number of councillors across the UK, and holds overall control of 83 local authorities. Labour-led local authorities have a chance to step up and show the way, implementing policies that bring communities together to focus on the real issues that we face.
The Migrant Champions Network, a cross-party network of local councillors advocating for the rights of migrant residents, has a template motion laying out some key steps local authorities can take to meet this moment. If you would like support in tabling this motion, or advice from other councillors who have already done so, please get in touch with the network by filling in this form, or emailing info@migrantchampionsnetwork.org.
You can read the text of the template motion below.
Template motion for councils on the rise ofthe far right
[Insert name of local authority] notes the recent, terrifying rise in anti-migrant words and actions, and the impact they have had on communities, including migrants and people of colour, across the country as well as in our local area.
[Insert name of local authority] is proud to be a place where people want to live, settle and put down roots, whether they were born here or made their way here. Our community has always been enriched by people from all over the world, [optional: insert historic examples of migration and/or long-settled communities].
Over recent months and years, though, migrant communities and communities of colour have increasingly been targeted by politicians seeking to profit by sowing division in our society.
There is no doubt that people up and down the country have been struggling, with years of austerity impacting our public services and a cost of living crisis that is making everyday life an uphill battle. These are issues that affect us all, wherever we’re from. But there are those in positions of power who have sought to profit from the hardship we are all facing, scapegoating migrants in order to increase their popularity and distract us from the real issues we have to contend with.
[Insert name of local authority] feels the horror and pain that many across our community have been feeling. We also acknowledge the work being done by so many to bring people together, and remind us that we have more in common than that which divides us. [Insert examples of local community work].
[Insert name of local authority] hereby commits to:
– Reaffirming our commitment to inclusivity and diversity in all forms
– Working across the council to reach out to impacted communities and offer support
– Establishing working groups including councillors, local residents, people from targeted communities and faith leaders to strategise a response
– Organising events for everyone in the local community to come together and celebrate our area
- You can download the template motion here.
- Mary Atkinson is the Co-ordinator of the Migrant Champions Network. You can follow them on X/Twitter here.
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