Mayo County Council votes to cease all co-operation with Department of Integration over refugee response

Hugh O’Connell

Today at 13:18

Mayo County Council has unanimously passed a motion calling on council staff to cease co-operation with the Department of Integration over the housing of asylum seekers and refugees in the county.

The motion, which was endorsed by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil councillors, says the non-co-operation should continue until an “agreed strategy is put in place to properly co-ordinate the provision of additional services for the communities hosting refugees and international protection applicants”.

While not binding on council authorities, Mayo councillors said the move was in response to mounting frustration over the impact locally of large numbers of Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers being placed in the county over the last two years.

A spokesperson for Mayo County Council said the motion would be circulated to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman, all local Oireachtas members and councillors in other local authorities.

However, the spokesperson would not comment on whether council staff would now comply with the motion and cease cooperation with the Department of Integration