Lincolnshire County Council passes motion calling for tougher immigration controls but opposition label the idea ‘depressing’

Lincolnshire County Council has called on central government to introduce stricter controls on immigration in a bid to reduce pressure on services — but opposition members labelled the move as ‘depressing’.

Members agreed that leader Martin Hill (Conservative) should write to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner to ensure public services remain sustainable for future generations.

The motion, presented and proposed by Coun Carl Macey (Conservative) on Friday (February 21) also called for a review of the funding formula to ensure areas experiencing the greatest impact from higher migration levels should receive additional government support. It also called for the government to work with MPs to push for stronger policies on border control.

"I bring this motion as a passionate believer in the UK as a place of refuge for those fleeing war or genuine persecution," said the representative for Skegness North division.

"Successive governments have mismanaged immigration at all levels, and trust in the government on this issue has now reached rock bottom."

He added: "Immigration must be controlled with no ifs, no buts, and we must remind the government that it has a national responsibility for this. Here in Lincolnshire, we have been hosting migrants, both legal and illegal, for a number of years.

"Legal migration has been out of control for well over a decade and, although governments have been stating that they will reduce the numbers, this has not happened. Obviously, this is adding to the overall struggle in the country relating to housing, medical services, and services in general.

"Illegal immigration over the last few years has been increasing, and this has served to exacerbate this issue."

Coun Macey argued that the news of migrants being housed in Skegness had hugely damaged the local tourism industry, and felt that this is not unique to his area.

The motion ultimately proved quite controversial, with members of the opposition describing it as "totally inappropriate" and the "most depressing motion" some had seen during their time as county councillors.

According to the 2021 census, 9.4% of Greater Lincolnshire's residents were born outside the UK. However, Coun Richard Cleaver (Independent) pointed out that this is lower than in almost all neighbouring areas.

"For Nottinghamshire, it's 13%, for Leicestershire, it's 20%, Northamptonshire is 17%, Cambridgeshire is 19%, and Peterborough is 28%. If you want to go to London, in the City of Westminster, it's 56%.

"So, to try to imply that immigration is a particular problem in Lincolnshire and that our communities are disproportionately affected is simply wrong."

Following the meeting, former Lincoln Labour MP Karen Lee, who also represents Ermine and Cathedral division, described it as a "very ill-thought out" motion.

She said: "The Labour government has got a better plan to manage immigration than the last government had.

"We're going to have a fair immigration system that is actually humanitarian, recognising there will be people that need to come here."

Coun Lee also pointed out that the 9.4% figure included a range of international nurses she had previously worked with and felt this wasn’t made clear in the motion.

Despite concerns, the majority of members voted in favour of the motion.

In response, a government spokesperson said: “Under our Plan for Change, the upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system, linking immigration, skills, and visa systems to grow our domestic workforce, end reliance on overseas labour, and boost economic growth.

“Despite this government’s inheritance, we are also fixing the foundations of local government by providing long-term certainty to the sector so we can put councils on a more stable and secure footing.”

What do you think? Were councillors right to pass the motion? Let us know your views in the comments below…