My name is Maggie and I lead on our work with Local Authorities. Our Local Authority network is a movement of councils working to create a culture of welcome, inclusion and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary.
We recognise and celebrate exceptional work through our Council of Sanctuary award – excitingly, there are now 18 awarded Councils of Sanctuary across the UK, and another 50 are working towards the award. That’s 20% of all UK Local Authorities who either have the award or are working towards it, and around 160 councils in total who are actively engaging with our network.
10 of these awards are held by London Boroughs, which means nearly a third of all councils in the capital are going above and beyond to support people seeking sanctuary. London truly stands in solidarity with refugees.
So far this year, Barnet Council, Bristol City Council, Camden Council, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council, Wandsworth and Southwark Council have all achieved the award – and Lewisham Council l has been reaccredited. (Each award lasts for three years, then it must be reassessed by a full panel to ensure they are still working at the highest possible standards).
The importance of this surge of awarded Local Authorities cannot be overstated. When a council prioritises welcome it means more families and individuals have better access to local services such as healthcare, education, employability, and suitable accommodation. Ultimately, it makes our communities fairer, kinder and better for everyone.
In Wandsworth, the Council has expanded the resources it directs towards refugees, including having 21 dedicated workers who speak over 15 different languages in a newly formed Refugee Services Team to ensure the needs of refugees are met and sufficient support is in place for when they arrive. Wandsworth has welcomed over 1,000 Ukrainian refugees, the second most of any London borough.
In Lewisham, the council has welcomed over 100 families through their Refugee Resettlement Programme. As the country’s first Borough of Sanctuary they’re resettling families from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. At a celebration event, Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham said: “Lewisham is an open borough and is leading the way in London and nationally with our refugee resettlement programme.We believe that diversity enhances our community and this was a lovely opportunity to come together, celebrate and give a very warm welcome to our sanctuary seekers in Lewisham.”
In Barnet, partners from the council, Barnet Homes, NHS ICB and the voluntary sector have worked together to map the existing resident experience and to design what the ideal experience should be for people seeking sanctuary in contingency accommodation. The ‘ideal’ resident experience that they designed will be used to look at how to provide a holistic service.
It’s clear to me that when the government has pushed hostility and division, our local authority network has resisted. Reflecting the will of the people in these communities, councils have stepped up to ensure people rebuilding in the UK are properly welcomed and supported.
Now we have a new government in place, we want them to listen and learn from the councils in our network. It’s time every town, city and borough was a true place of support and welcome.
Right now 33% of all UK councils are involved in our network in some capacity, so we have high hopes for how we can grow our work and ensure more people get the support they deserve. But we need your help to get there. If you can, please donate and help us to build a truly welcoming UK for people seeking sanctuary. Thank you.