Mid Ulster District Council’s head of Community Development, Claire Linney ,has revealed that the local authority is living up to its ‘Council of Sanctuary’ welcoming ethos, with efforts being made to help integrate vulnerable minorities in the district.
The local authority has teamed up with the Home Office and the Northern Ireland Executive Office (TEO), as part of the Government’s Asylum Scheme.
TEO has recently allocated an additional £15,000 to Mid Ulster District Council to enable the local authority to support asylum seekers, refugees, minority ethnic groups and other newcomers.
The Council, alongside the Northern Ireland Executive Office and the South Tyrone Empowerment Programme (STEP), are planning to continue on with their programme of integration of the above groups in the district, with access to essential services being facilitated.
Speaking at the January 15 Development meeting of the local authority, Council Chair, Councillor Frances Burton (Democratic Unionist Party, Clogher Valley DEA) was keen to find out who the Council was engaging with to help promote its welcoming ethos.
She asked: “It is done through school? What is involved to try and encourage local people to engage with people that are coming into our area?”
The senior council officer replied: “[In terms of] integration support, that can be anything, depending on what’s required.
“There’s families or people coming in that may require [general] advice, legal advice and general support.
“[Regarding] the promotion of integration, there is work with the schools through the sanctuary model.
“We actually encourage greater integration in terms of identity, culture awareness, and programmes such as that. It includes a range of things.”
A Motion, calling for Mid Ulster District Council to rescind its designation as a ‘Council of Sanctuary’, proved highly emotive when it was debated just over a month ago.
The ‘Council of Sanctuary’ branding is about creating a welcoming environment for people in need of refuge, including asylum seekers and others, and the call to rescind such status did particularly resonate with a number of councillors, as they felt it was at variance with the spirit of the Christian message.
Councillor Clement Cuthbertson (Democratic Unionist Party), however, felt that such designation had the potential to increase pressure on available housing and NHS resources.
With only 12 councillors supporting the Motion, and 26 voting against it, Councillor Cuthbertson’s Motion fell.
