A councillor was kicked out of a public meeting following a heated debate on immigration and asylum claims in the Vale.

Cllr George Carroll, leader of the Conservative group on Vale of Glamorgan Council, put forward a motion calling on the local authority to sever its ties with City of Sanctuary UK, a charity that helps asylum seekers and refugees integrate into communities.

Despite being focused on the council’s relationship with the charity and its own status as a County of Sanctuary, the debate quickly moved onto the wider topic of immigration and asylum claims.

Cllr Carroll and other members of his group argued asylum seekers are putting public services under pressure and the local authority should take a “zero-tolerance approach to illegal migration”.

Others criticised the Tory group’s motion, calling it “absolute nonsense” and accusing Cllr Carroll of scaremongering and “blatant inaccuracies”.

Towards the end of the debate, Cllr Caroll was told by the Mayor of the Vale, Cllr Naomi Marshallsea, to retract a comment he made that suggested a number of members in the council chamber appeared to favour open borders. On refusing to retract the comment, he was ordered to leave.

Cllr Carroll, who represents the Llandough ward, said on presenting his motion to councillors: “The message must be clear. If you are in Britain illegally you have committed a crime and you will not be allowed to stay here."

"County of Sanctuary status delivers the opposite of that. It sends a message that illegal migration is and will be tolerated. City of Sanctuary UK, the organisation behind it, is not a group with which this authority should be associated."

Under international law, people are legally allowed to claim asylum in the UK.

Two years ago, Vale of Glamorgan Council became a member of the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network - described last year in a report as a movement that works to "create a culture of welcome, inclusion, and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary".

Support from councils when they become a member of the network can be as simple as committing to the idea of welcoming asylum seekers or it can take the form of practical support like helping people to learn English.

According to Home Office statistics, around 168,000 people arrived in the UK in small boats between 2018 and June 2015 - and 95% of these applied for asylum.

As of June this year, there were 393 asylum seekers from all pathways in the Vale of Glamorgan with the majority (268) coming from Ukraine.

Of these 393 asylum seekers in the Vale, 104 arrived via the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP).

These are Afghan citizens who supported the UK armed forces in Afghanistan and had to leave for their personal safety after the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.

Of the remaining 21, the figures show 17 were supported with dispersal accomodation and four were given financial support but no accomodation.

Concerns were raised by residents and local councillors recently about the use of a hotel near Cardiff Airport to house asylum seekers.

Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) eventually came out to clarify that the asylum seekers being housed at the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose arrived through the ARP and that each arrival is entitled to nine months transitional accomodation.

Labour councillor Ian Buckley, who represents the Cornerswell ward, said many of the asylum seekers currently in the Vale saved the lives of countless British soldiers during their deployment in Afghanistan.

He added: “They’ve earnt the right to be here.”

Plaid Cymru group leader, Cllr Ian Johnson, said people who gain refugee satus are “escaping dreadful situations such as war or famine”.

He added: “The policy aims to ensure better outcomes for these families who join in our community while helping our own community to improve and to thrive.”

But independent councillor Kevin Mahoney said he didn’t believe the council needed a County of Sanctuary status and argued that the Vale has a “long history of… providing refuge for people who have been displaced or [who are] under threat of violence and wars”.

The Sully ward member also argued in favour of moderation when it comes to allowing people into the country, adding: “Our doctors surgeries are overrun, our public services are overrun, our local authority’s services are overrun. We can’t take everybody from the world.”

Conservative councillor Janice Charles, representing the Illtyd ward of Barry, argued there has been an increased burden on GPs and public services as a result of asylum claims.

She added: "Waiting times for appointments [are] already unacceptable and this can only get worse. Translators may be required when immigrants require medical treatment. The infrastructure…has been mentioned."

"The existing infrastructure does not have the felxibility for schools and transport to cope with the sudden population increase, especially in small towns and villages."

Office of National Statistics (ONS) data shows immigration has been higher than usual in recent years. However, their figures also show that it went down between 2023 and 2024.

In the year ending December 2024, immigration was at 880,000 people according to ONS estimates. This was down from 1,265,000 people in the year ending December 2023.

Asylum claims make up a small portion of these numbers. Home Office data shows 108,138 people claimed asylum in the UK in 2024, which was 18% more than in 2023.

The Conservatives' motion was ultimately defeated.

Council leader Lis Burnett said: "Anyone who’s lived here knows the Vale is a really special place. A welcoming, supportive and inclusive place."

"It’s a place that’s been built by the efforts of so many over the decades if not hundreds of years. Tens of thousands who came here to help us build our communities, our agriculture and our infrastructure."

"Their contribution continues and deserves our deep gratitude. [I am] so disapointed to see this motion today. I actually can’t find a single part of it which may loosely be called accurate."