Fresh concerns over migrant arrivals and the response to recent protests will be debated at a special council meeting next week.
Gosport Borough Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on September 22 following calls from Reform UK Gosport.
The meeting, scheduled for 6pm at the council chamber, will consider a motion submitted by Reform councillors seeking answers from police, the Home Office and other public bodies.
It comes after a small boat carrying over 100 migrants arrived at Eastney Marina in Portsmouth on Sunday, September 6, leading to protests in the city on the day and on September 12.
Leader of the council, Conservative Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM, said last week that such scenes should “not be repeated” and that agencies needed to be “properly prepared” for changing risks linked to people-smuggling gangs.
Speaking on the motion, Cllr Paul Carter, leader of Reform in Gosport, said: “We have submitted a motion for the council to consider, covering resident concerns, local authority responsibilities, community protection measures, and transparent communication.
“Local people deserve clear answers regarding safety, service capacity, and council action.
“Reform UK Gosport is the only political group putting community safety at the forefront of this issue.”
However, Cllr Huggins said she “does not accept he suggestion that community safety is the sole concern of one political group”, adding: “It is a priority for this council and something we take very seriously.”
The motion proposes that the council writes to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner, the Chief Constable and the Chief Fire Officer to thank emergency services involved in responding to events on September 6.
It would also call on Hampshire police to publish its own account of the evening.
This would include details of any officer injuries, the size of the crowd at different points during the night, and the circumstances surrounding the use of a dispersal order.
Councillors would also be asked to back efforts to secure reimbursement from the Home Office for policing costs associated with the operation.
A separate section of the motion calls for a letter to be sent to the Home Secretary.
This would state that the council does not consider Gosport an appropriate location for the disembarkation of small boat arrivals and does not wish to see such landings.
Additionally, the motion seeks assurances that sites including Fort Blockhouse would never be considered for use as temporary arrival facilities or migration processing centres, and calls for guarantees that the council would be consulted before any future disembarkations.
The proposal would also see council leaders write to Dame Caroline Dinenage.
This would invite the Conservative MP for Gosport to state publicly that residents with concerns about small boat arrivals “should not be labelled as racists or thugs”, and for her to press the Home Office for the commitments outlined in the motion.
Cllr Huggins said: “We offered to work constructively with members on a clear and factual Notice of Motion, but that opportunity was not taken up.
“We will now carefully review the motion that has been submitted and, where appropriate, seek to ensure it reflects a clear Gosport position and, importantly, puts the demands where the responsibility sits.”
The motion has been proposed by Cllr Marshall and seconded by Cllr Carter, and it will be discussed next week.
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