Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Davies, Khan and Ms Brown (Co- opted Member).

Members to declare any interests and party whips in relation to matters to be discussed at the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 23 March 2023 as a correct record.

Resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 23 March 2023 are confirmed as a correct record.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business to be considered as a  matter of urgency.

There were no urgent additional items of business to consider.

To consider and comment upon the draft Borough of Sanctuary Sandwell Strategy.

The Board received an overview of the Council’s Borough of Sanctuary Sandwell Strategy. The draft strategy was undergoing development and aimed to ensure that Sandwell was a welcoming place for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

It set out the Council’s ambition to be awarded ‘Council of Sanctuary’ status, and to join the national ‘City of Sanctuary’ movement via the Local Authority Network. 

The application had been independently assessed by a panel of community groups and individuals with lived experience, and once successful the Council would be recognised as a ‘Council of Sanctuary’ for a period of three years. In addition, proposals indicated that the panel of community groups would issue recommendations to the Council, detailing how to further welcome asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

Progress towards obtaining this status had been made, in particular, Thimblemill Library (Smethwick) had become the first ‘Library of Sanctuary’ nationwide.

The Partnerships and Communities Manager – Brushstrokes Community Project, set out that the Borough of Sanctuary Sandwell Partnership had been established with 75 members from community groups. The Partnership had conducted benchmarking exercises with neighbouring councils and had heard representations from residents through consultation exercises.

From the comments and questions by members of the Board, the following responses were made, and issues highlighted:-

·               Members agreed that the ambitions of the Sandwell Borough of Sanctuary Strategy were aligned to the Council’s aims and ambitions;

·               it was acknowledged that the distribution of asylum seekers across the Borough was not even, with the Smethwick locality accommodating a higher proportion of new arrivals;

·               acknowledged that provision of community resources, places of worship and support services contributed to the decision of asylum seekers when expressing where they wished to be accommodated;

·               that English for Speakers of other languages provision was limited and that waiting lists were extensive for those studying English;

·               asylum seekers and refugees may have specific special educational needs, for which support would need to be provided;

·               whilst the Home Office could grant permission for asylum seekers to gain employment after they had sought asylum for 12 months, opportunities were restricted to jobs on the Homes Office’s Shortage Occupation List, which may not align with an individual’s skill set or prior experience;

·               affordable housing provision was limited across the Borough which posed a barrier in some instances to housing opportunities;

·               individuals who were resettling were likely to have greater health and wellbeing needs – a collaborative approach between the Council, community groups and support services would help meet these needs;

·               the Council had recently appointed a Refugee Co- Ordinator within the Housing Directorate;

·               access to healthcare was a key barrier which had been identified, the translation of information was proposed to support with GP registration and navigating the NHS systems;

·               female health care, including access to sexual health and period products should be incorporated within the strategy;

·               the establishment of community groups within libraries had been a positive support as it had allowed new arrivals to socialise and embed themselves within the community;

·               additional communication methods of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41/23

To consider and note progress on the implementation of actions and recommendations.

The Board noted the status of actions and recommendations it had made.  Further updates would be reported to future meetings of the Board.

To approve the Safer Neighbourhoods and Active Communities Scrutiny Board Work Programme 2023/ 24

The Chair presented an overview of the Board’s proposed work programme for the 2023/ 24 municipal year.  Each Council directorate was invited to a work programming session on 12 June 2023, which allowed Members of the Board to discuss services, key issues and priorities.

Resolved that the Safer Neighbourhoods and Active Communities Scrutiny Board Work Programme for 2023/ 24 is approved.

To note and review the Cabinet Forward Plan.

The Board received and noted the Cabinet Forward Plan.