Borough of Sanctuary

We are proud to be a Borough of Sanctuary. As an ancient borough at the heart of London and bordered by our great river, Southwark has a long and honorable history as a place of safety for those fleeing violence and persecution.

We have given a welcome and a home to migrant communities across the ages, from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. More than 40% of our residents were born outside of the UK, Channel Islands, and Ireland – over 121,000 people. So, we can say proudly and without exaggeration that we are one of the most diverse boroughs in the country. 

Our vision 

Whether Southwark has been home for a short time or much longer, our vision is to make Southwark a place that welcomes, supports, and celebrates asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants. 

We are committed to creating a culture of empathy, understanding and inclusion across the borough. We will take action to promote the rights and welfare of all people seeking sanctuary and protection by bringing communities together to address the issues that matter to them.

Southwark’s Borough of Sanctuary journey

In January 2020, the Council Assembly passed a motion affirming our intention to join a network of local authorities that work to create a culture of welcome, inclusion and empowerment for all people seeking sanctuary. View the full motion. 

We are delighted to have been formally recognised by the prestigious City of Sanctuary UK Charity as a borough of sanctuary following our formal assessment in June 2024. This award formally recognises Southwark as a place of welcome and safety for sanctuary seekers.  Southwark was recognised for supporting refugees and named Borough of Sanctuary.

In Southwark, we also made a conscious decision to invest in our libraries and expand our services, ensuring community spaces are available to all our residents. We were delighted that our Libraries and Heritage service is the first in London to be awarded the Library of Sanctuary award in May 2024.

View a short video of our Borough of Sanctuary celebration event held at Mountview Theatre Academy of Arts in Peckham in October 2024. 

Being a Borough of Sanctuary means we can take solid public service and community-based actions to better serve the needs of our sanctuary-seeker communities. 

Our 4 key objectives as a Borough of Sanctuary are to take the following actions: 

1. Stand Together: We want Southwark to be a place of safety, support, and opportunity for those seeking sanctuary, embedding a collective message of welcome, kindness and challenge to the wider hostile environment.
2. Voice: We want to celebrate the culture, diversity, and contributions of those seeking sanctuary and amplify their voices and experiences to shape positive change.
3. Shaping Services: We want to better understand the experiences and needs of those seeking sanctuary and ensure that services and local agencies are responding to these issues and enabling opportunities.
4. Bespoke Support: We want to foster collaboration between different local agencies so they can respond effectively, cooperatively, and flexibly to the ongoing and changing needs of sanctuary seekers.

Working in partnership 

Through practice, we've learned that achieving our vision of sanctuary requires the collective efforts and commitment of the council, voluntary and community sector organisations, local grass-roots refugee and migrant communities, statutory partners, funders, and regional and national networks. 

Throughout our responses to various crises, it has been clear that the skill, experience, expertise and reach of voluntary community sector (VCS) organisations are crucial to the success and sustainability of efforts taken to support sanctuary seekers. 

Our key partners in the development and delivery of our Borough of Sanctuary vision and mission include: 

• Southwark Law Centre (SLC)
• Southwark Refugee and Communities Forum (SRCF)
• Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers (SDCAS)
• Citizens Advice Southwark (CAS)
• Panjshir Aid

The Borough of Sanctuary accreditation is only possible by working in close partnership with our key VCS partners and statutory services. 

Monitoring progress 

Stakeholders, statutory services, and voluntary and community sector organisations will report on and measure progress against our key principles and actions undertaken through Southwark’s Multi-Agency Forum (MAF). 

The MAF meets quarterly and is chaired by the Deputy Leader and Lead Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees and the Council’s Director of Stronger Neighbourhoods. 

It oversees the implementation of the key principles identified in the Borough of Sanctuary framework and live action plan. 

View our Sanctuary Framework and action plan.