All of the political parties voted in favor of the proposal except for the Left Party, which called for rejection.
The reason why the Social Democrats turned the issue around is because they, together with the Liberals, got through a welded request where the municipal management administration is commissioned to compile and develop new proposals on how the municipality should reduce school and housing segregation.
- This is a way of trying to help people not to put themselves in a bad position and not aggravate the segregation we have in the municipality, Halmstad is one of the most segregated municipalities in Sweden, I argue, says Stefan Pålsson (S).
The Ebo Act, or the Act on Own Housing, has previously given asylum seekers the opportunity to move to all areas of Halmstad while retaining financial allowance. However, the Act was amended on 1 January 2020, which gives some municipalities the right to deny asylum seekers the financial compensation if they choose to move to specifically selected areas within the municipalities.
In total, 32 municipalities have been granted exemptions from paying financial compensation. The government considers that the municipalities have areas with socio-economic challenges and the purpose of the change is an attempt to reduce segregation.
The decision will take effect from 1 July 2020 and will be followed up by 1 July 2022.
Asylum seekers who already live in the areas do not lose their daily allowance but only those who choose to move there.