"Not a safe and suitable site" as councillors unite to oppose future small boat landings in Gosport

Councillors have unanimously declared Gosport should not be used as a planned landing point for small boats.

Gosport Borough Council agreed to urge the Home Office to exclude the borough from future disembarkation operations, arguing its infrastructure and limited access routes make it unsuitable.

The motion follows on from when preparations were made for small-boat arrivals in the borough on September 22 and October 4.

The vessel involved in the September incident was ultimately taken by sea to Dover, while people were brought ashore at Fort Blockhouse on October 4. Both occasions sparked widespread protests across the borough.

Councillors agreed to seek confirmation from the Home Office that Fort Blockhouse is not being considered for the disembarkation, reception or processing of people arriving after irregular small-boat crossings.

Council leader Cllr Zoe Huggins said: “I’ve always been clear that this is about facts and evidence of why Gosport is not a safe and suitable site for illegal migrant landings and dockings.

“This is because of our infrastructure. It is not safe or suitable for anyone.

“It’s very difficult when dealing with the Home Office and particularly with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) when they are just seeing an empty MOD site.”

Cllr Huggins added: “I find it absolutely extraordinary and very disappointing and frustrating that the Home Office and the Home Secretary herself has not responded to us as a council.”

Under the motion, the council will request that any future proposals affecting Gosport undergo an assessment covering access, safety, emergency resilience and the impact on residents and services.

It will also call for earlier engagement with the council and emergency and maritime authorities, as well as clearer communication when future operations could affect the area.

However, councillors stressed their position would not apply during a maritime emergency or immediate threat to life, when safety must take priority.

During the debate, Cllr Lesley Meenaghan warned about growing tensions within the community.

The deputy leader said taxi drivers were being subjected to abuse and accused of being illegal immigrants despite having worked in the area for years.

She said: “We need to be very careful that our views are balanced and we are not whipping up a frenzy of hate because there are consequences to that.

“There are migrants in Gosport; there are migrants in this chamber who work hard and commit to our community.”

Cllr Colin Towell meanwhile urged councillors to put party politics aside and said residents’ “fears” and “concerns” needed to be heard, adding: “What we do here today is for the people of Gosport.”

The Reform councillor also made an apparent reference to a similar debate in Portsmouth, saying Gosport could “show them how this is done, without recourse to the invocation of the gas chambers of Auschwitz”.

The unanimously approved motion also condemned violence, intimidation, criminal damage and inflammatory or derogatory language, while supporting the right to express concerns lawfully and peacefully.

Watch the video embedded in this story to see the issue brought up in the House of Commons