Reform UK consider ditching 'sanctuary' status

Reform UK leaders in Bradford have proposed pulling out of a network of councils which aim to create safe and welcoming communities for refugees and asylum seekers.

Bradford was awarded Local Authority of Sanctuary status in 2021, meaning it guides refugees and people seeking sanctuary to services including English classes, and hosts events for refugees.

Reform said its plans to ditch the status "may upset oversensitive political opponents but are firmly in the public interest."

Opposition leaders have criticised the proposal as "vice signalling" and "political posturing" that "would not fix a single service for a single resident."

The proposal is one of three motions which will be presented by Reform at a Bradford Council meeting in October.

The Reform UK Group and Bradford Council leader Councillor Stephen Place said: "Our responsibility is to Bradford residents first, and that means prioritising public services for local people who live, work and raise their families here.

"It also means confronting serious issues which have been ignored for far too long, like encouragement of illegal immigration through generous taxpayer-funded provisions."

When asked, a Reform spokesperson could not provide a figure of how much the status costs the council.

Imran Khan, Leader of Bradford Labour Group, accused Reform of "falling back on their usual toxic recipe of hate, victimhood and division."

He added: "City of Sanctuary costs nothing but it supports refugees to integrate into British society which us something that is a proud, patriotic and longstanding tradition of this country and which benefits us all."

The Deputy Leader of the Green Group , Hawarun Hussain, said: "The council needs to find upwards of £50m in savings this year. Reform should know this by now, and if they do not, things do not bode well for the council budget they have to put together in a matter of months."

When asked for their response to Reform's plans, City of Sanctuary responded saying the programme has no influence over who is housed in Bradford or where people are placed and added: "It helps councils join up existing services, strengthen partnerships and improve coordination, making services work more effectively for everyone who needs them.

"That benefits the whole city."

Reform will also put forward a motion to "support white working class children, calling for government priority in addressing their needs."

Another will aim to introduce an "Article 4 direction" across the Bradford district, limiting local growth of Houses in Multiple Occupations (HMOs).

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