Is the council’s ‘controlling migration’ fund betraying Bristol’s City of Sanctuary status?

Concerns have been raised that new council funding streams will be used to further marginalise vulnerable and homeless foreign nationals in Bristol.

Green councillor Cleo Lake has raised fears that the very people who most need help and support will be targeted and face deportation under Government-funded schemes.

The council received £180,000 from the Home Office’s controlling migration fund – information of which recently came to light following a freedom of information request from the Bristol Cable – as well as a subsequent £300,000 pot to tackle rogue landlords.

Lake believes there is a “danger of a lack of separation between vital support and immigration enforcement” which would jeopardise Bristol’s status as a City of Sanctuary – representatives of which have added their own “grave concerns”.

Cleo Lake argues the offer of support should not come with the threat of deportation

Migrants, mostly from the European Economic Area (EEA), make up a significant percentage of privately renting tenants in Bristol and all too often fall prey to ‘rogue landlords’ and poor living conditions.

The council argues it is seeking to support vulnerable groups, while also clamping down on cases of modern day slavery and exploitation.

But Lake, a councillor for Cotham, says tenants from other countries who come forward to report inadequate living conditions could then be faced with deportation.

“Human trafficking and exploitation is extremely concerning and must be confronted,” said Lake.

“It is only right to target rogue landlords – they are a blight on our community and should be challenged across the board. However, homeless people are, by the very nature of their being, extremely vulnerable, and should have our unconditional support.

“Whilst I do not condone illegal migration, I am minded to also reflect on the reasons that people risk their lives and often put themselves into severe debt to come to the UK.

“Support for homeless migrants or those living in substandard accommodation cannot come with the threat of deportation, or we risk further marginalising some of the most vulnerable people in society. I hope that positives do come out of this but I will be watching closely to see what is really happening.”

Vice chair of Bristol City of Sanctuary Caroline Beatty echoed her concerns.

“We support the need to improve the quality of the rented sector,” she said. “But if this is to be directly tied in with a Home Office agenda to forcibly remove anyone from the city, it directly opposes the council’s stated commitment to uphold Bristol as a City of Sanctuary, so we have grave concerns about the scheme.

“We hope that the council will divorce itself from cooperation with the Immigration Enforcement Agency in the way that it implements the programme.”

The council says the funding is going to support vulnerable tenants and clamp down on slavery and exploitation

In a statement, Bristol City Council said it is using the Government funding to conduct intelligence work to identify and target all rogue landlords in the city, whoever their tenants are, and to take enforcement action where necessary.

It continues: “Vulnerable migrants are often subject to exploitation and we work with partners, including Avon and Somerset Police and Immigration Compliance Enforcement (ICE), to identify properties where there are likely to be high levels of modern day slavery and trafficking. Officers will carry out proactive inspections of these premises and help support people out of these terrible situations.

“We do not share resident details with ICE, but we have in the past undertaken investigations with ICE into accommodation they have raised concerns about.

“The £180,474 that was awarded to reduce the rise in migrant rough sleepers was split between the St Mungo’s outreach team and the council’s Streetwise service. In both cases, the money was used to recruit new officers and build on current capacity.

“Since changes to welfare entitlements in 2014, most EEA rough sleepers seen regularly by Bristol Outreach are ineligible to access supported pathways off the streets.

“People who are not eligible for support and housing funding and who are unable to find employment are offered short-term night shelter accommodation and supported re-connection.

“When someone decides to return home, St Mungo’s will offer help that may include, where a client consents, working with the Home Office who can help with travel documents and flights. St Mungo’s written protocols state they will not share information with partners without consent, unless their experienced teams believe there is serious risk of harm to the person concerned.

“Re-connections generally involve liaison with family, authorities, and treatment services in the home country and always ensure a solid support network is in place prior to re-connection.

“Streetwise is a multi-agency project set up to tackle begging, street drinking and anti-social behaviour. It works closely with Outreach to achieve supportive interventions and voluntary reconnections for migrant rough sleepers. However, where individuals are persistently not willing to reconnect voluntarily, and are also engaging in anti-social behaviour, Streetwise liaises with Immigration, Control and Enforcement (ICE) which may lead to the individual being removed from the country.

“We are sensitive to the need to maintain separation of enforcement and support services in order to retain the trust and confidence of rough sleepers.”

Read more: Bristol’s rogue landlords could face fines of up to £30,000