Editorial: A response to Marvin Rees regarding the Cable’s hostile environment article

Mayor Marvin Rees has clarified Bristol council’s position, saying it is exactly the same as the other 11 councils.

Reports 12th August, 2019

Last Thursday (08.08.19), the Cable published an article regarding Bristol City Council and the Home Office’s Rough Sleeping Support Service – a controversial programme regarding the targeting of rough sleepers for immigration enforcement.

The new programme follows a similar Home Office scheme that local authorities participated in, including Bristol Council, until it was deemed unlawful nationally in 2017.

The Cable recognises that the Mayor and council have been publicly critical of Home Office policy. Having covered the hostile environment extensively, the Cable appreciates the need for sensitivity when reporting on this matter. On reflection, the article should have made clearer (further up in the piece) that Bristol City Council has not made any referrals of rough sleepers under this scheme. The article should have also said the council would only do so in order for people to be housed more quickly.

The article stated that Bristol City Council would not join the 11 councils who publicly stated they will not cooperate with the RSSS scheme and will only share data with the Home Office with the “explicit consent” of rough sleepers in all cases.

When asked if Bristol City Council would join the 11 other councils in opposing the scheme, the council spokesperson did not explicitly state the council would be joining them. They said: “Bristol City Council has not made referrals to the Rough Sleeping Support Service (RSSS) and would only work with them in order for people to be housed more quickly by reducing delays in obtaining settled status.”

The spokesperson added: “The council’s view is that referrals should only take place after an individual has firstly received legal advice from a registered OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) and has given their informed consent.”

The council stated that referrals should only take place when informed consent is given. Our journalist’s reading of ‘should only’ was that of a statement of intent, as opposed to a firm policy obligation – as made by the other local authorities.

However since the publication of our article, Mayor Marvin Rees has written a response on his blog. He has clarified the council’s position, saying it is exactly the same as the other 11 councils. The Cable welcomes this news.

Finally, our reporting is always up for scrutiny, but we do not accept public officials calling into question the integrity and motives of our journalists. We hope that in our respective roles robust and respectful debate can take place.

The Bristol Cable
The Bristol Cable is created and owned by over 2,500 people in the city. With in-depth reporting, free events and a free quarterly print edition, The Bristol Cable is redefining local journalism through groundbreaking investigations, campaigning for change and amplifying marginalised voices. Online, in print and on the street.
TheBristolCable

Keep the Lights On

Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.

The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.

We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?

Join now

What makes us different?

Comments

Related content

No to Section 60

Racist and traumatising: inside a Section 60 suspicionless stop and search operation

Officers searched innocent children, disproportionately targeted people of colour and undermined their anti-racism reforms during a 48-hour police operation in February. Their narrative that it was an effective knife-crime deterrent, done with consent, is misleading.

Sean Morrison

Edition 43

Illustration of a grey factory building with a reflection of it in green underneath

The workers who tried to make ‘swords into ploughshares’

Andy Danford spent decades in Bristol’s aerospace and arms sectors, navigating industrial battles, political upheaval, and bold ideas for transforming weapons factories into socially useful workplaces

Adam Quarshie

Features

Damien Egan school visit: Anatomy of a faux scandal

How a sentence in a Cable article led to a media firestorm — resident political pundit Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins delves into the Damien Egan furore

Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins

Edition 43

Illustration of a primate painting against a backdrop of planes bombing a hillside

In conversation with: Art Against War Club

We sit down with the new collective using art to shine a light on Bristol’s production of 'shit tons of killing equipment'

Adam Quarshie

Reports

University of Bristol paid private security firm to ‘spy’ on pro-Palestine protesters

Bristol is among 12 UK universities using Horus Security to monitor protest groups, raising fears of growing campus surveillance

Sean Morrison

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Neil Maggs

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Lewis Wedlock – towards a positive masculinity

Neil asks masculinities educator Lewis about his work in schools in Bristol and beyond, the appeal of the manosphere and why it’s so important to meet young people without judging them.