Havant council defends asylum dispersal plan amid criticism

Councillor George Madgwick launched an online tirade against Havant councillors, suggesting they are putting asylum seekers “above” local residents.

The dispute follows plans to house 35 asylum seekers in Waterlooville town centre being refused due to fire safety concerns. It also follows a local protest and opposition from both local MPs and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Cllr Madgwick singled out an email from Labour councillor Gillian Harris, who defended the plans. She said placing asylum seekers, many of them women and children, near shops, amenities and communities would be better “than isolating them”.

She added that Havant had successfully accommodated Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, and supporting 35 more people “should not be a problem” with help from churches and community groups.

The town centre location would also allow asylum children to access Newlands and Jubilee Park, she noted.

Madgwick branded her email “truly shocking” and demanded her resignation, along with that of local MP Suella Braverman.

He claimed asylum seekers are “unchecked” and “undocumented” and commit disproportionate levels of crime.

Cllr Harris said the dispersal scheme was put in place in 2022 by Suella Braverman, one of the MPs who opposed the Waterlooville plans. It ensures fair distribution of asylum seekers, reflecting “legal obligations and humanitarian values”.

Deputy leader of Havant Borough Council, Cllr Phillipa Gray, called Cllr Madgwick’s claims “inaccurate and misleading”.

She said: “It is important to be clear: those arriving through the dispersal scheme are here lawfully and supported by the Home Office while their claims are assessed.”

She added: “Havant Borough Council will continue to fulfil its legal responsibilities to support local people in need while engaging constructively with the Home Office to ensure that, if it chooses to place asylum seekers in Havant Borough, they are housed in appropriate accommodation.”

Cllr Mark Coates said Cllr Madgwick “often brings difficult but important scrutiny” but warned that “scrutiny with scruples is welcomed, not unscrupulous scapegoating”.

He described the asylum system as a “calamitous” mess after Brexit, with immigration “quadrupled – along with the cost.” He accused Suella Braverman of “continuing incompetence,” noting the irony of her criticising the dispersal policy she herself introduced.

While opposing the “clustering” of asylum seekers in one site, Coates said every council must “play its part” rather than rely on “ridiculous housing of immigrants in hotels.”

However, he criticised Cllr Madgwick for “plastering councillors’ pictures across social media,” warning in the era of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess that such tactics risk people getting hurt.

Key facts

As of the end of March this year, 749 asylum seekers had received support in Portsmouth, 96 of whom were placed in hotels, with the rest in dispersed accommodation. By comparison, Gosport, Fareham, and Havant have accommodated 23, 29, and 14 asylum seekers respectively.

All 14 asylum seekers in Havant, a borough with a population of around 125,000, were placed in dispersed accommodation, usually in houses or flats.

In the UK, the government must fairly assess asylum claims under international and domestic law, ensuring no one is returned to danger.

The Home Office provides accommodation and support while claims are processed. Successful claimants receive refugee status; failed claimants can be deported.

Safe and legal routes are mostly limited to family reunion or specific resettlement programmes. Most asylum seekers have no formal legal pathway and are forced to arrive irregularly.

There is no official data from the Home Office detailing crime rates among asylum seekers. The Office for National Statistics has stated that it does not hold information on crimes committed specifically by asylum seekers.