Please consider supporting refugee charities like City of Sanctuary which have had one of their toughest years to date.

Cruelty isn’t a solution - and it’s not a distraction we should fall for. The real issues we face - fixing the NHS, building affordable housing, reducing wealth inequality - are not solved by making life harder for people seeking safety. 🧵

Shabana Mahmood on the BBC this morning talking about desperate people fleeing war and persecution as being given a "golden ticket" and "handouts" and saying she's got a "moral mission" to take them away from them Indistinguishable from the rhetoric of Reform www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/shabana-ma...

Swansea Council reaffirms City of Sanctuary status in social cohesion vote Councillors in Swansea have voted overwhelmingly to back a motion on social cohesion, reaffirming the city’s status as a City of Sanctuary and rejecting misinformation linked to Seaview School.

Great work Kingston Council!

Important, timely, analysis by @lgilbert.co debunking the commonly used line that "migrants are a burden". Shows that migrants are overwhelmingly bet fiscal contributors. Basically, you target migration, you crash the country.

Interesting analysis. In Oxford a local roundabout was flagged by a team of men from Liverpool....

You’ve got £9.95 to last you the whole week… what’s your plan? This impossible choice is played out in asylum hotels. Whilst people await a decision on their claim, they are banned from working & receive just £9.95 for clothes, travel, data & more. This is not luxury. This is a hellish limbo. 🧵

Word 😆🤣

So great to meet with the London Borough of Sanctuary leads. @cityofsanctuaryuk.bsky.social

Council Agree to Join City of Sanctuary Network #Newry https://www.newry.ie/articles/news/council-agree-to-join-city-of-sanctuary-network

"Newry councillors approve City of Sanctuary plans despite street protests"

Bravo to Perth & Kinross Council for issuing two strong statements today, ahead of a planned far-right "protest" against asylum seekers in the Radisson Hotel (formerly Station Hotel) in Perth tomorrow, Saturday 23rd. Counter protest is gathering at 10am, FB link for more info in next post. 1/2

Really proud of Newry! They stood their ground despite huge pressure from the far right

At the Greenwich Overview & Scrutiny Panel we had the privilege of sharing why it matters so deeply for us that Greenwich is a Borough of Sanctuary. We spoke about what sanctuary means for us at Creating Ground, and for us personally as residents and migrant women who call this borough home. 🌱✨

Hackney is committed to being a Borough of Sanctuary 🙌

Great visit to Goring on Thames yesterday by @freddievanmierlomp.bsky.social and @maggieflpv.bsky.social to look at the issue of a car-free cycle route between Goring and Wallingford. Currently the trail is interrupted by some stiles. @cyclinguk.bsky.social

No other party says the basic truth: migration is good for Britain. The real problem? Inequality, soaring bills, underfunded public services. That’s driven by the greed of the super rich and the Labour government who serve them - not by migrants.

Southampton: A City of Sanctuary where everyone is welcome. Read the latest Leader's Corner from Councillor Lorna Fielker, Leader of Southampton City Council. soton.cc/CityofSanctuary

New life for refugees helped by Borough of Sanctuary Fund https://www.allforgardening.com/1335682/new-life-for-refugees-helped-by-borough-of-sanctuary-fund/ A life-changing community project is helping refugees in Wandsworth make a difference with the support of the council’s Borough of …

Excellent work Lambeth council

Just 1 week to go until the Oxford Sanctuary Fair 2025! *Book your free place (or just drop in):* tinyurl.com/sanctuaryfair2025 *Part of Refugee Week* Organised by Asylum Welcome, University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes, IWAW, Oxford City Council & more.

Whoop 🙌

Excellent work Greenwich Council 🎉🧡

Wandsworth Council - a council of Sanctuary - is inviting local orgs to apply for grants up to £2,000 to support activities & events that promote understanding, build relationships & bring people together across the borough during Refugee Week. www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-ma...

“The best thing about being part of the borough’s community is the sense of belonging." After fleeing Ukraine, Olga made Ealing her home and since has worked with @ealingcouncil.bsky.social to achieve the Borough of Sanctuary award 🏆 Read her incredible story👇 www.aroundealing.com/news/a-borou...

As your Labour Councillors, we will always be proud of our diverse community who come together in good times and bad to support each other. As a Borough of Sanctuary we value and celebrate all of those who settle in Waltham Forest.

I’m proud to be a migrant champion for Islington & of our work as a Borough of Sanctuary. Language is important which is why Cllr Una OHalloran, Cllr Sheila Chapman and I have written to the Home Secretary asking the Government to stand with us in supporting refugees and building community cohesion

Community as a Superpower As part of their ongoing commitment to Borough of Sanctuary status, @richmondcouncil.bsky.social is offering small grants for activities during #RefugeeWeek (16-22 Jun) to constituted voluntary and community groups Apply asap if you have an eligible event bit.ly/4ket4R6

Worth pointing out the real trend, but also worth noting that Britain desperately NEEDS net migration. The UK's over-65 population is going to increase by nearly 50% by 2050—who is going to fill the work force if not immigrants? timhirschelburns.substack.com/p/the-compos...

Oxfordshire County Council is the first county council to be awarded local authority of sanctuary status, thanks to its commitment to supporting people fleeing war, persecution and serious human rights violations, the council announced today.

Well done Hackney! So needed to see this right now. 🙌

Keir's rhetoric on migration is a leaf straight out of Farage's playbook. Foreign workers aren't strangers - they're our neighbours, our friends, our carers, our community - our city. London's strength is its diversity - and we must stand up to this divisive, dangerous politics together.

We did it! Oxfordshire looking even more yellow. 🔸🔸🔸

Well done Canada 🇨🇦

Keep going everyone 👏

Happy Easter 🐣 from Team Rivers

Britain's asylum seeker 'sanctuaries': The towns and cities bucking the trend by welcoming migrants and refugees to their communities with open arms www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Local authorities estimate that their Special Educational Needs (SEND) shortfall will rise to £5.2 billion in the next 12 months. Hampshire - which has been warning it is at risk of a Section 114 - is the worst affected. It'll have a £312 million shortfall by the end of 2025-26.

We were delighted to join the Stronger Together annual conference in Northern Ireland to discuss how we can build resilient and cohesive local communities 💪

It's election time and the Conservatives are trying to shift the blame for their own failings. Over successive years central government has given local authorities a fraction of what it costs to maintain the roads and now they want to blame @libdems.org.uk @eddavey.libdems.org.uk ...

Electioneering 🔸🔸🔸

Great work @islington-council.bsky.social 🥰

Fantastic team supporting Maggie Filipova-Rivers to win in Goring and Woodcote! ☀️

When will Govt learn you can’t out-Reform Reform - you end up simply legitimising their toxic narrative. To see off populists, Labour needs to invest in public services & local communities, making a real difference to people’s lives - levy a wealth tax & use it to improve people’s lives *now*

Word

Brexit has been a disaster. We urgently need a reset of our trade relations with EU. How about SM/CU? “UK goods exports to the EU between 2021 and 2023 were down by 27% while EU goods imports to the UK were down by 32%.” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Finally. Ceasefire. So many feelings. Still can’t quite believe it. We’d been so close before. But also why did it take so long. Thousands of innocents dead. So much devastation. Let’s hope this lasts and the bombs don’t start again.

Five weeks on and no clarity yet on how long the pause on processing Syrian asylum and settlement claims is going to last for, leaving thousands in limbo.

Excl: Angela Rayner is pushing for mayors and local authorities to take control of asylum accommodation. She is pushing the Home Office to terminate contracts that will leave migrants being housed in hotels until the next election: www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...