It's already a 'sanctuary' for just about every idler, thief, rogue and conman under the sun. So I guess a few more won't make much difference.

Tanner's reference to comrade Fryer look pretty selective to me. It's certainly open to question as to how much good he did in this country.

Tanner's remarks about "where would we be without the valuable contributions of asylum seeker and refugees?" reminds me of the answer the recruit gave to the sergeant who asked him what he'd been in 'civvy' street - "happy" he replied.

zaxharias ziegla i agree with your first paragraph. i did not vote these clowns in to waste time on these issues

City of parasites.

John,
for heavens sake stop your nonsense before the residents of oxford hold you up to ridicule
there's enough the councillors should do for taxpayers of this city before extending these stupid ideas. perhaps you should be concentrating on getting taxpayers money back from the icelandic banks!!!!!!

John,
for heavens sake stop your nonsense before the residents of oxford hold you up to ridicule
there's enough the councillors should do for taxpayers of this city before extending these stupid ideas. perhaps you should be concentrating on getting taxpayers money back from the icelandic banks!!!!!!

John,
for heavens sake stop your nonsense before the residents of oxford hold you up to ridicule
there's enough the councillors should do for taxpayers of this city before extending these stupid ideas. perhaps you should be concentrating on getting taxpayers money back from the icelandic banks!!!!!!

" Where would we be without the valuable contributions that asylum seekers and refugees have made within our towns and cities?"

Well, don't stop there - list a few.

OK Quentin, here are a few 'valuable contributions' for starters, with sources (in case your cynicism requires them):

1. An estimated 30,000 jobs have been created in Leicester by Ugandan Asian refugees since 1972. (Source: The Observer, They fled with nothing but built a new empire, 11 August 2002)

2. More than 1,100 medically qualified refugees are recorded on the British Medical Association’s database. It only costs £10,000 to prepare a refugee doctor to practise in the UK. It costs £250,000 to train a doctor from scratch. (Source: BMA in BBC News, NHS fails to use refugee doctors, 16 June 2004)

3. Many refugees have academic or teaching qualifications. There are more than 1,500 refugee teachers in England. (Source: Report of the Refugee Teachers Task Force, 23 November 2006)

4. Asylum-seeking children contribute very positively to schools across the country. This in turn enables more successful integration of families into local communities. (Source: Office for Standards in Education, The education of asylum seeker pupils, October 2003)

5. Immigrants, including refugees, pay more into the public purse compared to their UK-born counterparts. (Source: Institute for Public Policy Research, Paying their way: the fiscal contribution of immigrants in the UK, April 2005)

Thanks to Refugee Council website for these stats. I know there are countless more examples, such as the refugee founder of Marks & Spencer!

purplepip wrote:
OK Quentin, here are a few 'valuable contributions' for starters, with sources (in case your cynicism requires them):

1. An estimated 30,000 jobs have been created in Leicester by Ugandan Asian refugees since 1972. (Source: The Observer, They fled with nothing but built a new empire, 11 August 2002)

2. More than 1,100 medically qualified refugees are recorded on the British Medical Association’s database. It only costs £10,000 to prepare a refugee doctor to practise in the UK. It costs £250,000 to train a doctor from scratch. (Source: BMA in BBC News, NHS fails to use refugee doctors, 16 June 2004)

3. Many refugees have academic or teaching qualifications. There are more than 1,500 refugee teachers in England. (Source: Report of the Refugee Teachers Task Force, 23 November 2006)

4. Asylum-seeking children contribute very positively to schools across the country. This in turn enables more successful integration of families into local communities. (Source: Office for Standards in Education, The education of asylum seeker pupils, October 2003)

5. Immigrants, including refugees, pay more into the public purse compared to their UK-born counterparts. (Source: Institute for Public Policy Research, Paying their way: the fiscal contribution of immigrants in the UK, April 2005)

Thanks to Refugee Council website for these stats. I know there are countless more examples, such as the refugee founder of Marks & Spencer!

Thank you, purplepip. I'm not cynical, just sceptical of politicians who throw blanket statements about without explanation.

"Thanks to Refugee Council website for these stats."

Well, the Refugee Council are sure to guild the lily, aren't they?

Even so, if they are to be believed; since 1972, 32,600 refugees have contributed to our society. No mention of asylum seekers, or the total number of refugees we have admitted since 1972.

I would take serious issue with your fourth point as I know from personal experience that this is not, generally, the case.

From medieval times, Oxford has a proud history of welcoming the stranger at its gate, so I would support John Tanner's suggestion. The only problem is...it doesn't extend to British people made homeless elsewhere: the council's Reconnection policy effectively repatriates them to other cities against their will. For once, I think charity begins a bit closer to home.