Are you horrified by the voices in our Cumbrian communities and online spouting anti-immigration, anti-refugee, and racist views?
You are urgently needed this Tuesday 13th January at the Carlisle Civic centre at 12.30pm ready for a 1pm council meeting.
Why?
In 2024, the council voted to become a Place of Sanctuary. This is a scheme run by the charity City of Sanctuary UK. It simply means the council commits to being welcoming and fair to everyone, including refugees and people seeking asylum.
A motion has been proposed by Cllr Ellis to withdraw from the City of Sanctuary and go back on the 2024 vote.
It claims that ‘local services must come first’ and argues it ‘encourages people smuggling and ‘illegal’ migration’.
This taps into the torrent of anti-immigration noise locally, and across the UK. The idea that becoming a Council of Sanctuary somehow takes funding away from local people or services is not only false, but a dangerous distraction. A distraction from the years of cuts and political decisions failing the hard working people of Cumbria, and a distraction which is whipping up hatred, racism, and violence in our communities.
At the last council meeting where City of Sanctuary was discussed, 50 anti-immigration protestors were in the public gallery. Many were members of Cumbria Action, a group who have arranged protests rooted in racism, islamophobia and far-right ideas.
From the photos and media coverage it’s easy to believe that everyone in Cumbria is anti-immigration, anti-refugee and has no empathy for people seeking asylum.
We know that there are lots of people in Cumbria who do not hold this view. But sadly it’s a majority that often stays quiet.
YOU can change this by joining us in solidarity with the City of Sanctuary group, refugees and people seeking asylum in our county. Meet outside the Carlisle Civic Centre at 12.30 on Tuesday 13th ready for a 1pm council meeting. You can find the full council agenda here.
If you can’t attend, take action by sending an email to Cllr Lisa Hinton, your local councillor (if you live in Cumberland) and your MP.
Below are two templates that you can personalise in order to contact your local councillor and/or your MP regarding Cllr Gareth Ellis’ proposed motion (see motion 2) to withdraw from the City of Sanctuary movement.
Who to write to:
- If you’re resident in Cumberland write to your local Councillor and cc Cllr Lisa Hinton lisa.hinton@cumberland.gov.uk. Also consider cc’ing your local MP.
- If you’re a resident of Westmorland and Furness write to Cllr Lisa Hinton lisa.hinton@cumberland.gov.uk and consider cc’ing your local MP.
You can find the name and contact details of Cumberland Councillors here and your MP here. You can also use this website to write to them directly.
Template 1 (kindly provided by the Cumberland Sanctuary Network)
Dear _______,
I am writing to ask you to vote against a motion that is due to be discussed at the Cumberland full council meeting that will take place on Tuesday 13th January in Carlisle Civic Centre at 1pm.
The motion is entitled Withdrawal from City of Sanctuary and rescission of “A Place of Sanctuary” (27 September 2024) and it has been proposed by Cllr Ellis. As you may know, Cumberland Council had been developing its Council of Sanctuary Strategy over the last year or so and this document was voted through by members of the Executive on 25th November 2025.
The motion refers to the work of City of Sanctuary UK as an organisation which engages in national lobbying and “welcome branding” and proposes that Cumberland should not be signing up to be part of this organisation when local services must come first. It also claims that the “Place of Sanctuary” label encourages people smuggling and ‘illegal’ migration, thereby supporting the online sales pitch used by smuggling networks.
There is no evidence to support any of these statements. City of Sanctuary UK is a registered charity and therefore apolitical. Its primary focus is on the dignity and humanity of individuals seeking refuge, not the politics surrounding immigration policies. They work to de-politicise the discourse around forced migration.
Becoming a Council of Sanctuary means a local authority is committed to being welcoming and fair to everyone in the community. The process involves the council making a formal promise, creating a practical plan using ringfenced, central government funding, and working with local organisations to ensure services work well for all residents. This approach helps create a more integrated and cohesive community where everyone feels valued and can contribute positively. The certification recognises that our council follows lawful, compassionate policies towards refugees and people seeking asylum that benefit the entire community while maintaining its core character and values. The whole process will enable teams from statutory and voluntary sectors to work more effectively by improving coordination, sharing what works, and finding ways to streamline efforts. This not only leads to better outcomes for all local residents, but also helps councils make the most of external resources.
As a local councillor, we hope you will take this opportunity to stand firmly on the side of social cohesion, fairness and unity, by voting against this divisive motion on Tuesday.
Yours sincerely,
Template 2 (kindly provided by one of our ARCtivists)
Dear _________,
I am writing to share my concern about the motion to rescind Cumberland Council’s Place of Sanctuary commitment and to ask that you oppose this decision.
I understand the motion states that statutory duties around safeguarding, domestic abuse and children in care remain unchanged, and that support will continue for people arriving through recognised routes. However, my concern is not only about legal duties but about the narrative and priorities this motion sets.
Language matters. When a council publicly moves away from a stance of welcome and protection and instead frames migration primarily through crime, deception and deterrence, it shapes public attitudes and everyday behaviours. For racialised communities in particular, including Brown people regardless of immigration status, this kind of framing risks increasing suspicion, mistrust and a sense of conditional belonging.
Immigration is not an anomaly in national life. It is fundamental to the economic, social and cultural fabric of all nations, including the UK. Our health and care systems, education, hospitality, construction, technology and public services depend on migrant labour and migrant expertise. Beyond economics, migration enriches communities, sustains rural and ageing populations and reflects the reality of an interconnected world.
Providing refuge and asylum is not simply a policy choice. It is a moral duty grounded in international law, human rights principles and our own history. People seeking asylum are often fleeing war, persecution, climate disaster and systemic violence. To treat welcome and sanctuary as optional branding rather than shared responsibility risks hollowing out those commitments.
I am also concerned that this motion focuses on the perceived pressures of migration while failing to meaningfully acknowledge the role of state failures in creating hardship. Pressures on safeguarding, domestic abuse services and children in care are primarily the result of long term underfunding, austerity, workforce shortages and fragmented support systems. Migrants and people seeking asylum did not create these conditions and framing them as contributors to strain obscures the real causes and solutions.
By withdrawing from the City of Sanctuary framework, the Council removes not only a symbol but a structure that encouraged collaboration, compassion and proactive inclusion. This does not reduce organised crime or fix systemic underinvestment. It does, however, risk normalising a harsher tone that makes life more difficult for already marginalised communities.
I ask you to oppose this motion, or at the very least to challenge the assumptions it makes and the narrative it advances. Cumbria’s strength lies in community, care and connection. Those values should be reinforced, not quietly rolled back.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your service to local communities.
Yours sincerely,
We encourage you to personalise these letters, or use them as inspiration to write your own.
Let’s come together to counter hate.
