Lewisham gains re-accreditation as the UK's first Borough of Sanctuary

The Council is proud to be the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary. As part of this accreditation, we are regularly assessed and monitored by the City of Sanctuary movement and are happy to announce that following our most recent assessment, our status as a Borough of Sanctuary has been successfully maintained. The assessment panel highlighted some of the brilliant work being done in Lewisham including:

• the development of a comprehensive system of support for people seeking asylum who live in Lewisham
• the co-production project: The Council works ongoingly with a group of residents from sanctuary seeking backgrounds to make sure that the Sanctuary work is relevant to the communities we serve
• the development of the Welcome to Lewisham page on the Council website
• the Council’s partnership work for Sanctuary was also praised – this included working with schools, GP surgeries and many organisations in the borough.
• the Council’s critical work with voluntary partners including Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL) and Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN) was highlighted

Brenda Dacres, Mayor of Lewisham said:

“We are delighted that our status as a Borough of Sanctuary has been maintained successfully after a rigorous assessment process by the City of Sanctuary movement. The ongoing progress and commitment we have made in Lewisham has been recognised and thank you to all our staff teams and partners involved.

“We are proud of our track record working with partners to best support our sanctuary seekers to build new lives here in Lewisham. Refugees and people seeking asylum are welcome in our borough and are an integral part of our community.”