A MOTION on “severe and growing pressures” on social and rented housing – which also highlighted efforts to resettle asylum seekers – put forward by Conservative members of Somerset Council has been branded “dog whistle politics at its worst” by one fellow councillor.
The motion, put forward by Lucy Trimnell (Con, Wincanton & Bruton) asked for the Full Council, at a meeting on May 21, to support recognising problems with social and private-rented supplies in the county, while also “being honest” about the strain resettlement and asylum schemes put “on the wider housing system and public services”.
The motion, seconded by new Conservative leader on the council Diogo Rodrigues (Con, Bridgwater East & Bawdrip), also called on the council to “Write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to outline Somerset’s unique housing pressures and seek urgent assurances that government-funded migration accommodation schemes will not come at the expense of housing provision for Somerset residents”.
It was defeated by councillors at the meeting. At the bottom of this article, you will find a Leveller Fact Check of just some of the issues raised surrounding asylum seekers in Somerset.
Those voting against the motion included Liberal Democrat members, as well as Somerset’s two Reform councillors – Marcus Barr and Bente Height – while a number of Conservative councillors abstained from the vote.
During and after the meeting, opposing councillors hit out at the Conservative councillors’ motion, including members of the public.
One was Sajjad, an Afghan refugee, who spoke during Public Question Time at the meeting of their gratitude to Somerset for welcoming them.
“This country has given me so much, and I know that no amount of effort on my part can ever fully repay that debt,” Sajjad said. “I firmly believe that those given the opportunity to live in this country must do their best to contribute to its growth and success. I will always strive to give back to this community.”
Also during Public Question Time, councillors heard from Stephen, a volunteer at a refugee welcome hub in Yeovil, who said: “The immigrants I know and work with want to say thank you to the UK people for supporting them.
“My heart sinks when I read motions like the one you will discuss later in this meeting – asylum seekers make up a tiny number of people in Somerset – they are not responsible for the housing shortage in this county.”
Cllr Martin Dimery (Green, Frome West) who was not at the meeting, but later accused the members of attempting to “draw a correlation between refugee accommodation and the lack of affordable housing in Somerset”.
“This, coming from the party that sold off council houses and allowed housing to become a crisis in 14 years of government,” he went on.
“Despite recently bringing forward a motion in support of Ukrainian refugees, they don’t seem too keen on asylum seekers from elsewhere.
“Of course, the government, not the council, determines where refugees are sent, so the debate was pure grandstanding in an attempt to posture as even-more-prejudiced than Reform.
“What a shameful, divisive and insular proposal, risking dividing communities for a headline. Dog whistle politics at its worst.”
Cllr Dimery added: “I genuinely had respect for many of my Tory colleagues but I will regard those who voted for this with the contempt they deserve.”
Liberal Democrat councillor and lead member for adult services, housing and homelessness, Cllr Sarah Wakefield, said: “There is no denying that there is a housing crisis in Somerset – but it has nothing to do with the housing of displaced persons.
“The motion proposed by the Conservatives has no basis in fact and makes inaccurate assumptions. Somerset residents are already prioritised for affordable housing as part of the Homefinder service in the county. You must be a resident or have a local connection.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Cllr Leigh Redman (Lab, Bridgwater North & Central), who spoke at the meeting, saying: “It is understandable to have concern for Somerset’s housing pressures, but I must challenge the assumptions and implications underpinning this motion.
“The motion implies that government-funded migration and asylum accommodation schemes are a primary source of strain on Somerset’s housing market, while failing to recognise the previous government’s chronic underinvestment in social housing and the insufficient regulation of the private rental sector.”
He said the impact of the Hinkley C development and the underfunding had “contributed far more significantly to the current crisis”.
“In fact, evidence from the Local Government Association and housing charities consistently shows that the scale of housing need in Somerset and across the UK predates the recent migration and resettlement programmes,” he said.
Cllr Redman said that “by framing asylum seekers and resettled families as a source of competition for local housing, this motion risks fuelling division and further misunderstandings within our communities”.
“The numbers involved locally in resettlement schemes are a tiny fraction of overall housing demand here in Somerset,” he added.
“Moreover, the government’s ring-fenced funding for these programmes is specifically designed to prevent displacement of local need.”
He said people being resettled or seeking asylum “are not able to access our Home finder system” and that Somerset “has legal and moral obligations to support vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers”.
“These are people fleeing conflict, persecution, and hardship,” he added. “Prioritising local residents – as the motion says – “wherever legally and practically possible” risks undermining our commitments under national and international law, and if enacted could expose the council to legal challenge.
“Rather than seeking to limit or stigmatise migration accommodation, the council should focus its lobbying efforts on securing increased long-term investment in affordable housing for all.”
He concluded: “Let us be clear – Somerset’s housing crisis is real – but it will not be solved by pitting vulnerable groups against one another.
“We need unity and ambition, not division and scapegoating.”
Cllr Rodrigues, who spoke in support of the motion, said: “As someone who has been on the receiving end of racism in my life, I found it shameful to hear a fellow councillor call my words racist when they simply were not.
“That does not give me confidence that race issues are properly understood — if any mention of immigration is dismissed as racism, we shut down the space for sensible and serious debate.”
While fellow Conservative, Cllr Trimnell, said the motion had been misrepresented.
“To suggest that we were blaming migrants for Somerset’s housing pressures is simply wrong,” she said.
“We’ve set out a range of existing pressures and asked for planning and fairness. It’s a shame that some chose not to engage with that in good faith.”
Fact check
We thought this was a good chance to make sure you are armed with the facts regarding ‘asylum seekers’ in Somerset and beyond, as well as what people are – and are not – entitled to.
How many asylum seekers are there in Somerset?
At the last count, in December 2024, there were 297 asylum seekers living in the Somerset Council area. The population of Somerset in 2022 was recorded at 576,852, meaning asylum seekers represent 0.05% of the county population.
Do asylum seekers ‘take’ social housing from Somerset residents?
In short, no, because asylum seekers are not eligible to apply for social housing in Somerset.
Somerset Council applies ‘local connection’ criteria to social housing applications, so even if someone moves to the county and is entitled to apply for social housing, they would rank below someone with links to the area on the housing list.
Is money used to house asylum seekers that could otherwise be spent housing long-term residents in Somerset?
Again, the answer is no.
Money to provide housing for asylum seekers in Somerset is provided by central government. It is not, repeat not, money that could otherwise be spent on housing for other Somerset residents. Nothing is being ‘taken away’, it is provided solely for housing refugees or asylum seekers by central government, and would not be available for other uses.
Does Somerset Council prioritise county residents for social housing?
As mentioned above, the council applies ‘local connection’ criteria to social housing applications. So as far as they are legally able, the answer is yes, Somerset Council does prioritise ‘local’ people when allocating social housing.
There are exceptions to the ‘local connection’ rules, but they have nothing to do with asylum seekers or refugees. The exceptions are for cases like people fleeing domestic violence, or for armed forces veterans.
Asylum seekers may not be a concern here in Somerset now but looking at the governments proposed plans for distributing asylum seekers across the country it could become one.