A REFORM UK councillor is calling on Teignbridge Council to be ‘fully transparent’ over the housing of migrants.

Cllr Steve Horner, who represents Teignmouth West ward, wants the authority to put ‘residents’ welfare and housing needs first’.

In a Notice of Motion to go before the full council next week, Cllr Horner says the council should ‘guarantee transparency’ by publishing all communications on migrant placements and put residents’ welfare and housing needs first.

He said the council should ‘demand safeguards’ by refusing any placement where immigration status is unverified or safeguarding checks are incomplete.

And he says the authority needs to ‘stand firm’ and oppose and challenge any external placements made without prior consultation, ‘using very legal and planning tool available’.

His Notice has been seconded by Newton Abbot councillor Alex Hall and will be considered by members at the full council meeting on October 23.

The Notice is titled Safeguarding Local Communities from Unconsulted Migrant Placements

In the notice, Cllr Horne says: ‘Teignbridge cannot turn a blind eye to the growing national concern over the placement of individuals who have entered the UK illegally or through deception.

'Immigration policy may sit with central government, but the impact lands here—on our communities, our services, and our residents.’

Recent cases across the country, he says, have raised serious questions about issues including housing pressure and competition for essential services; safeguarding risks and community safety concerns; erosion of public trust due to secrecy and lack of consultation and criminal offences linked to placements made without local oversight.

Cllr Horne said: ‘Our council has a statutory duty to protect residents, uphold public safety, and ensure decisions affecting local resources are made openly and democratically.

‘While current numbers in Teignbridge are low, pressure for further placements is real—and will continue until national government tackles illegal migration effectively.

‘This motion calls for a clear stance: no secret deals, no silent placements and no compromise on safety.

‘And full transparency, full consultation, and full accountability.’