Councillors could commit Hertfordshire County Council to pursuing “council of sanctuary” status within days.
Cllr Alistair Willoughby (Labour, Baldock and Letchworth East) first proposed council of sanctuary status in a motion earlier this year.
It was immediately slammed as a “grandstanding gesture” by Broxbourne Conservative MP Lewis Cocking.
More than 3,600 residents have already backed an e-petition calling for any decision on sanctuary status to be put to a referendum on the council’s own website.
But the council’s cabinet will formally consider the proposal tomorrow, October 14.
Cabinet members will consider a recommendation for the county council to join the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network.
They will also be asked to tell council officials to “take steps towards recognition as a council of sanctuary”.
An officers’ report says becoming a ‘county of sanctuary’ would not legally oblige the council to provide extra immigration services.
Nor would it give the council immigration powers or require new structures or bureaucracy.
But it would provide a “structured recognition framework” for reviewing how existing services, partnerships and policies work for ‘new arrivals’.
The report says it would also identify ways to improve co-ordination, accessibility and community cohesion.
Council leader Steve Jarvis (Liberal Democrat, Royston West and Rural) said the move would not change the council’s work or who comes to live in Hertfordshire.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Cllr Willoughby has invited us to make a statement that we support people who come to Hertfordshire seeking sanctuary, in the way that we should.
“There have been a lot of allegations made that this is about how many will come to Hertfordshire and that it will change immigration rules.
“To be clear, this is not what it is about. This is making a public statement that we will treat all people who come here to seek sanctuary in the right way.”
Cllr Jarvis pointed to the county’s past support for people from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Hong Kong and Syria.
He said sanctuary status would let the council compare its performance with other authorities.
“I think there has been a lot of misrepresentation about what this means,” he said.
“And I think it’s very unfortunate that’s been done in a way that seeks to divide people in Hertfordshire.
“I think it’s important that communities in Hertfordshire live and work together.
“And I fear that some of the allegations made about this are not an attempt to make people live in harmony in Hertfordshire, but to divide them.”
Cllr Willoughby first raised accreditation in a motion put to the full council in July and debated by its public health and community safety cabinet panel last month.
Cllr Willoughby’s motion highlighted Hertfordshire’s “strong tradition of supporting people in need” and working with others “to assist those seeking sanctuary”.
He called for an assessment of the implications, opportunities and resources needed to become a County of Sanctuary.
Cllr Willoughby has now welcomed the latest recommendations, which will be considered by the cabinet alongside his motion, as a “positive move” for the county council.
But he warned that some people would try “to turn this into something it is not”.
“Joining the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network is about making sure we use what we already have to support people who are here now, living in our communities,” he said.
“Accreditation would simply show that we have met that commitment.
“Some people will try to turn this into something it is not.
“We are not asking for more asylum seekers or refugees to come to Hertfordshire. Councils do not control that.
“What we can do is make sure that everyone who lives here, whether for a short stay or a long one, has the chance to feel part of the place they call home.”
A statement issued to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the cabinet report was published says: “On October 14, cabinet will consider whether the council should seek council of sanctuary status.
“This follows the public health & community safety cabinet panel on September 14, which supported exploring the proposal and next steps. No decision has been made at this stage.”
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