A Cumbrian council’s agreement to make its area a place of sanctuary will be questioned by a councillor at a meeting.
Cumberland Council members agreed that it should join the scheme in November.
Council of Sanctuary status is awarded to councils who take the right steps to support people seeking sanctuary – including refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, those fleeing domestic or other abuse, and those moving here from elsewhere in the UK.
The council will apply for City of Sanctuary accreditation – a national movement recognising local authorities that actively foster welcoming and compassionate communities.
It means the council has systems in place to welcome and protect people, and to make sure they get the help they need.
But at the November meeting, around 50 people attended to protest the move.
At a meeting of the full council on Tuesday, January 13, Conservative councillor Gareth Ellis, seconded by Mike Johnson, is due to propose a motion to withdraw from the City of Sanctuary and place of sanctuary schemes.
The motion says: “The City of Sanctuary model is not a neutral badge; it expects councils to endorse a charter, work with local City of Sanctuary groups for endorsement, publish a multi-year strategy, publicise achievements, lobby government for national policy change, and support streams of Sanctuary initiatives such as Schools of Sanctuary – which amounts to proselytising in primary and secondary schools under a council-backed banner.
“Cumberland should not be turned into a platform for national lobbying and welcome branding when local services must come first.”
The motion also asks the council to note:
- On September 27 2024, Cumberland Council carried the motion A Place of Sanctuary, including joining the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network and committing to start work towards the Council of Sanctuary Award, alongside further commitments set out in that motion
- The September 2024 motion text, minutes and debate, made no mention of domestic violence or children in care, nor does the City of Sanctuary network website, policies or handbook
- Domestic abuse only became explicitly included within the council’s sanctuary framing later, in the council’s explanation of Council of Sanctuary at the executive meeting in November 2025
- Cumberland Council will continue to support people who come to the UK through lawful routes, including Homes for Ukraine and the Hong Kong BN(O) route supported by the UK Government’s Welcome Programme
- This motion does not change the council’s statutory safeguarding duties regarding domestic violence or children in care.
At the same meeting, two questions from the public are listed on the agenda for deputy leader (statutory) Lisa Hinton to answer.
The first question is How many asylum seekers have been provided with accommodation by way of sanctuary in Carlisle (and or) the Cumberland Council area and the second Given the sanctuary initiative has been both rejected and approved in different areas across the country, throughout your deliberations on the matter, can you describe the potential negative impacts of this initiative which the panel identified given the intensive fact finding that must have been undertaken before unanimously supporting this policy?
Councillor Stephen Stoddart (Moss Bay and Moorclose, Independent) is also due to ask two questions, the first to Cllr Hinton, where he will ask: “Could you clarify how many individuals awaiting immigration status confirmation are currently housed in Workington, how their accommodation is distributed across West Cumbria, including Cockermouth and Keswick, and whether this placement is managed by Cumberland Council or directed by central government?”
And he will ask councillor Emma Williamson, the deputy leader (non-statutory): “What is the total cost of housing and supporting the above individuals, and what proportion of council resources or council tax is allocated to this support?”
