Cllr Jim Dickson is the Cabinet Member for Healthier Communities (job-share) and a councillor in Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction ward.
It’s been a bittersweet week for sanctuary seekers in Lambeth. We’ve been officially recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary; only the second London borough to be awarded that status. But the green light given by the High Court earlier this week to the government’s utterly inhumane plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda will blight the lives of local families fleeing persecution.
Welcoming refugees from all over the world has made us the borough we are today. We have a proud history as a sanctuary to those fleeing violence and persecution and for those in the LGBTQ+ community facing discrimination. Our borough remains a beacon of hope and opportunity. Generations of migrants – of which the Windrush generation are but one example – have long chosen our corner of south London to make a better life for themselves and their families.
With the award of sanctuary status, Lambeth Labour councillors including Leader Cllr Claire Holland, Cllr Marcia Cameron (my job share partner) and Cllr Ibtisam Adem – Lambeth’s migrant champion – are working to build a more welcoming country and city for those to fleeing their homes.
The Conservatives under Rishi Sunak have a different vision. The Hostile Environment put in place by the Conservatives has stigmatised migrants and refugees. They’ve completely broken our asylum system with record delays in processing claims accompanied by an irrational refusal to give refugees the right to work.
The Covid pandemic, ever growing risk of climate change, political persecution and conflict, and extreme economic inequality continue to drive forced migration from around the world while the government appears content to see lives lost crossing the channel in small boats. Racial profiling increases year on year for all Lambeth residents and those caught up in the Windrush scandal and failures of the EU settled status system continue to see their lives left in disarray.
At our official ceremony last Thursday, it was an honour for our Labour administration to be awarded Borough of Sanctuary Status by City of Sanctuary UK. The incredible work of our council team officers and our brilliant community & voluntary sector partners in supporting sanctuary seekers was heart-warming to see. Hearing the stories of pain but also hope in the face of unimaginable upheaval to a family’s life remind us that we cannot and will not turn our backs on those seeking sanctuary.
Migrants and refugees have helped build the prosperous and compassionate place that Lambeth is. We are an open, caring haven for those who wish to make our country their home. The pandemic showed the very best of our local public services. Workers in our NHS vaccinated people regardless of their migration or residency status as we emerged from the worst of the pandemic. With the launch of Lambeth Sanctuary Services, this Labour Council is channelling resources to deliver a wrap-around service for sanctuary seekers and Lambeth Labour will play no part in the Conservative’s hostile environment as we stand by our commitment to refuse to have a Home Office officer on our payroll.
We are proud to have exceeded the pledge we made in 2016, welcoming 31 Syrian families – more than any other borough in the UK. Refugees from Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq and across world continue to settle here. Lambeth residents have opened their doors, showing their kindness and hospitality, welcoming over 409 Ukrainians into their homes this year alone.
Lambeth’s voluntary sector and community organisations make us proud too. Huge numbers of Lambeth residents and businesses volunteer to support sanctuary seekers of all kinds. And we offer our thanks to Age UK Lambeth, the Refugee Council, South London Refugee Association and our brilliant health partners as well as smaller organisations such as New Vision for Women together with all councillors and Council staff who have supported this effort in welcoming these families to find a new home. Across our borough, we have supported thousands of refugees to settle in our community, access services, and find employment, including as Lambeth Council staff. They all embody what makes our borough great. They demonstrate in their small acts of kindness and dedication to our commitment to openness and inclusion, and that we here in Lambeth will not turn our back on people who have lost their livelihoods and need our help.
The challenge in 2023 is to maintain and improve further the high quality services for sanctuary seekers in the face of government plans to make life even harder for them including herding those seeking asylum into larger accommodation centres. And we will continue the implacable political opposition to the Rwanda deportations and all other steps to strip those seeking our help of their human rights that is the hallmark of our borough.
Cllr Jim Dickson