Councillors could commit Hertfordshire County Council to taking its first steps towards accreditation as a "council of sanctuary" within days.

The idea that the council should seek council of sanctuary status was first floated in a motion proposed by Cllr Alistair Willoughby (Labour, Baldock and Letchworth East ) earlier this year.

It was immediately slammed as a "grandstanding gesture" by Broxbourne Conservative MP Lewis Cocking.

And more than 3,600 residents have already backed an e-petition on the council's own website calling for any decision on sanctuary status to be put to a referendum.

But on Wednesday (October 14) the option will be formally considered by a meeting of the council's cabinet.

At that meeting, cabinet members will be asked to consider a recommendation that would commit the county council to joining the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network.

And they will be asked to request that county council officials "take steps towards recognition as a council of sanctuary".

According to the officers' report published in advance of the meeting, becoming a 'county of sanctuary' would not provide a legal obligation on the council to provide additional immigration services.

Nor would it confer any immigration-related powers or functions on the council, or require the creation of new council structures or bureaucracy.

But it would offer a "structured recognition framework" to review how existing services, partnerships and policies work for 'new arrivals'.

And, says the report, it would identify opportunities for better co-ordination, accessibility and community cohesion.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, leader of the county council Cllr Steve Jarvis (Liberal Democrat, Royston West and Rural) stressed that it would not change what the council does or who would come to live in Hertfordshire.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Cllr Willoughby has invited us to make a statement that we support people who come to Hertfordshire seeking sanctuary, in the way that we should.

"There have been a lot of allegations made that this is about how many will come to Hertfordshire and that it will change immigration rules.

"To be clear, this is not what it is about. This is making a public statement that we will treat all people who come here to seek sanctuary in the right way."

Cllr Jarvis points to the support the county has offered in the past to people from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Hong Kong and Syria.

And he says any move towards sanctuary status would enable the council to review its performance against others.

"I think there has been a lot of misrepresentation about what this means," he said.

"And I think it's very unfortunate that's been done in a way that seeks to divide people in Hertfordshire.

"I think it's important that communities in Hertfordshire live and work together.

"And I fear that some of the allegations made about this are not an attempt to make people live in harmony in Hertfordshire, but to divide them."

Council of sanctuary accreditation was initially raised by Cllr Willoughby in a motion that was proposed to full council in July and debated by the council's public health and community safety cabinet panel last month.

In that motion, Cllr Willoughby pointed to Hertfordshire's "strong tradition of supporting people in need" and working in partnership with others "to assist those seeking sanctuary".

And he asked for a consideration of the implications, opportunities and resource requirements associated with working towards recognition as a County of Sanctuary.

Cllr Willoughby has now welcomed the latest recommendations, which will be considered by the cabinet alongside his motion, as a "positive move" for the county council.

But he warns that there are some people who will try "to turn this into something it is not".

"Joining the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network is about making sure we use what we already have to support people who are here now, living in our communities," he said.

"Accreditation would simply show that we have met that commitment.

"Some people will try to turn this into something it is not.

"We are not asking for more asylum seekers or refugees to come to Hertfordshire. Councils do not control that.

"What we can do is make sure that everyone who lives here, whether for a short stay or a long one, has the chance to feel part of the place they call home."

Meanwhile, a statement issued to the Local Democracy Reporting Service following the publication of the cabinet report says: "On October 14, cabinet will consider whether the council should seek council of sanctuary status.

"This follows the public health & community safety cabinet panel on September 14, which supported exploration of the proposal and next steps. No decision has been made at this stage."