RESIDENTS who have major concerns over the impact Brexit will have on their lives were given advice and support by a panel of cross-party members from Haringey Council and representatives from the local VCS community at a public meeting on Monday night.
An audience of over 50 EU nationals, residents and local business owners attended the Civic Centre to receive information on how to protect their rights and apply for settled status to stay in the UK beyond December 2020.
With the crucial Brexit deadline rapidly approach on March 29, a number of local people are feeling anxious about the ongoing uncertainty over the UK’s Brexit terms and what it will mean for EU citizens living and working here.
Haringey is a multicultural borough that attracts people of all cultures and has approximately 42,000 non-British and Irish European citizens living in the borough.
Councillor Joseph Ejiofor, Leader of Haringey Council spoke at the meeting and emphasised the enormous contribution that Haringey’s EU citizens have on the cultural and economic life in the borough.
Cllr Lucia das Neves, Cllr Nick da Costa and Geoffrey Ocen, Chief Executive of Bridge Renewal Trust were also among the panel.
Residents and EU nationals got the chance to air their concerns and received crucial feedback on what they should do ahead of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on March 29.
Cllr Joseph Ejiofor said:
“I was pleased to see so many of our residents and EU nationals attend the meeting and I hope we were able to ease some of their anxieties ahead of next month’s Brexit deadline.
Haringey has always been an open and tolerant borough and I wanted to assure everyone who lives and works here that we will do everything to support them and to protect our diverse communities.
We will make every effort to ensure our EU residents feel welcome in Haringey and will continue to support them in every way that we can, through Brexit and beyond.”