Fifty refugees from Syria will be given a home in Kensington & Chelsea after the Royal Borough dramatically agreed for them to be resettled in the borough.
A Labour motion making the request was set to be amended by the Conservative majority administration, effectively watering down the proposal.
But after seeking clarification that refugees would not be rehoused in council accommodation, council leader Nick Paget-Brown withdrew the amendment, allowing the motion to be unanimously passed.
The move was welcomed by Samia Badani, campaign coordinator for the Refugees Welcome Kensington & Chelsea Campaign. They had gathered outside the town hall ahead of the meeting on Wednesday (October 14) to make their feelings known and were vociferous during the meeting.
Samia said: “I am a long-term resident living in Kensington & Chelsea and take great pride in this borough.
“Everyone in the country was moved by what’s happening with the refugee crisis. It was really important that our voice was heard by the council.
“I am proud of the borough, this is positive. We have shown solidarity and that we can find a solution together.
“There’s real commitment - this is action more than words, which is brilliant.”
The motion was put forward by Labour’s Cllr Robert Thompson. Addressing council denizens he spoke of beacon boroughs such as Kingston and Barnet which had already committed to helping, and said: “Our borough is extraordinarily diverse and has been shaped by waves of immigration including numerous political refugees. We are a borough in which many of our residents have already found a safe sanctuary from persecution and in which many would like to see us continue in that noble moral tradition.
“We are a borough which also benefits from strong civic organisations and faith communities. We are also a rich borough in which many of us benefit from much wealth and privilege. We are a borough with extensive human and financial resources and expertise that can easily welcome 50 refugees. If we cannot who can?”
The council will now contact the Home Office, expressing an interest in resettlement programmes, with the aim of housing at least 50 refugees in the borough.
The motion also asked that the council help facilitate the co-ordination of local service provision, in partnership with civic organisations, local faith communities and individuals.
The Labour Group motion grew out of a campaign of Citizens UK and the Migrant and Refugees Forum to gain the support of councils up and down the country so that refugees can find sanctuary and be equitably distributed throughout the UK.
Cll Thompson said afterwards: “I am delighted that after an emotional, thoughtful and mostly generous debate the amendment to the motion was withdrawn and Council unanimously supported the commitment to coordinating the housing of 50 refugees in Kensington & Chelsea. It is important that a borough with a wealth of human and financial resources, such as ours, is seen to be playing its part in helping to alleviate the terrible suffering endured by others.”
The move was also welcomed by Kensington & Chelsea Social Council.
Kuldip Bajwa said: “We are looking forward to working with the council to see how we can put plans into practice.”
A K&C spokesman said: “The council has a long track record of welcoming migrants and refugees to the Royal Borough and of funding local organisations that support them.
“They agreed that the UK must welcome its fair share of refugees and that the Council, amongst other things, will play its part by contacting the Home Office to request that 50 people are resettled in Kensington & Chelsea.”
