Lewisham has become the first council in the UK to be formally recognised as a ‘sanctuary’ for refugees and asylum seekers.

The borough has been awarded the title by national charity City of Sanctuary after challenging the Government on the hostile environment approach and abandonment of the country’s refugee resettlement scheme.

The council’s participation in the UK’s refugee sesettlement programme has already helped over 30 refugee families, making Lewisham London’s leading borough for resettlement, and in the last two years the borough has also welcomed 90 unaccompanied minors seeking asylum.

News Shopper: A recent mural painted on Lewisham Shopping Centre

Lewisham aims to resettle 100 families in total though this work has been disrupted by COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Lord Alf Dubs, leading advocate for child refugees, said: “My Congratulations to Lewisham on achieving the Council of Sanctuary Award.

"In recent years Central Government has been putting up barriers to prevent refugees finding safety here.

“So, I'm very pleased to see local government like Lewisham pushing back and showing a compassionate approach does work, not only for refugees but for the wider community.

“Lewisham has done some amazing things in making its services more welcoming for all migrants and campaigning for change, especially in creating more safe and legal routes for unaccompanied child refugees.”

In 2018, the council committed to making Lewisham a Borough of Sanctuary, working in partnership with civic society groups and other public services across the borough to improve the way Lewisham supports migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees.

Last year it was the first in the country to appoint a Sanctuary Programme Manager to lead the Council’s work in becoming a Sanctuary Borough.

City of Sanctuary supports a network of groups across the UK and Ireland who are working to to build a culture of welcome and hospitality to refugees and asylum seekers within their communities.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is an open and outward-looking city with a long tradition of welcoming those seeking sanctuary and fleeing persecution, so I am pleased to see Lewisham’s work in this area being formally recognised.

“One of our city’s greatest strengths is its diversity, and this work is so crucial in helping those who have fled persecution to be able to secure their future here as Londoners.”