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How Taxpayers’ Money is Being Spent on ‘Sanctuary Cities’

Millions of taxpayers’ money is being spent by UK councils and theatres chasing "Sanctuary Awards" – official recognition from City of Sanctuary UK, a charity promoting support for refugees and migrants across the country.

3 min read

In today’s article I wanted to show readers how taxpayers’ money is being spent on “Sanctuary Cities”.

To recap, the UK has inherited this concept from the US Democrats. President Trump is currently in the process of tearing out “Sanctuary Cities”. Meanwhile, the number of “Schools / Boroughs / Universities and Groups of Sanctuary” has been quietly growing over here – with most voters having absolutely no idea.

The charity spearheading such efforts is titled “City of Sanctuary UK”. Although it is privately funded, councils and other taxpayer-funded bodies have spent huge amounts in pursuit of a “Sanctuary Award”, usually bestowed by the charity. Wales is by far the worst example, having spent £55 million on becoming a “Nation of Sanctuary”.

Without further ado, below are examples of how much councils or other bodies have spent on “sanctuary” efforts. All of these are London-based, but I intend to widen my search across the country to find out the extent of taxpayer expenditure.

Islington Council 

Islington was recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary in 2023 and has since run its own grants programme for the scheme. This year it awarded £510,000 in funding to 20 “inspiring, community-led projects… to help support local refugees, migrants and people seeking asylum.” These included “Support for 800 women in one year with legal advice, English classes and leadership development by Women for Refugee Women”, “Holistic Support from the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants” and other programmes “to meet the wide-ranging needs of

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20 Comments
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coviture2020
coviture2020
1 year ago

Wales is by far the worst example, having spent £55 million on becoming a “Nation of Sanctuary”
If this is true and not a misprint no wonder we’re in a mess

jezzabart
jezzabart
1 year ago
Reply to  coviture2020

Yes, that throwaway line was the one that struck me! Perhaps a future article could address this in more detail.

For a fist full of roubles
For a fist full of roubles
1 year ago

I love the heading picture with white people apparently telling black youngsters what to do and how to act.
No doubt they are also telling them what their feelings should be according to the current diversity canon.

Gezza England
Gezza England
1 year ago

Do they communicate with them in Jive, Hip Hop, Gangsta or any other of their lanuages?

Cotfordtags
Cotfordtags
1 year ago

And this is money we are spending on top of all of the benefits we are paying to the over one million doctors, engineers and others we absolutely had to import to fill the domestic skills gap, but who are now sitting at home doing nothing.

Pete Sutton
Pete Sutton
1 year ago

But why are councils and theatres so desperate to be recognised as “sanctuary cities”? It’s a bit like their craving for Stonewall’s endorsement – what’s in it for the coucil tax paying locals?

Gezza England
Gezza England
1 year ago
Reply to  Pete Sutton

They are basically shitting on their residents. People need to understand that many of these councillors are vacuous airheads who have a childish zeal for new toys and for going ‘look at me!’.

When working at the City of London, one of their elected morons had seen or heard of Westminster City Council putting in a non-standard pedestrian crossing where a zebra should have been used. This retard was soon going ‘Me want one! Me want one!’ So I had to look into it. One quick email to the DfT confirmed they had rejected it as non-compliant with the Regulations when WCC asked. This wasn’t enough for the type idiots at the City who mistake education for intelligence to I had to waste more time on something that was clearly illegal such that you could park on the zig-zags, not stop for anyione crossing and not be is big trouble for running soembody down. Incredibly at WCC despite the rejection from the DfT one of their morons had signed off on a report to introduce it. And on top of it all they had not followed to correct procedure that requires a Notice be published for ANY works involving a… Read more »

EUbrainwashing
EUbrainwashing
1 year ago

If a migrant is in the country legally or has been properly validated as warranting asylum why would they need a place of ‘sanctuary’ within the nation in which they legally reside?

soundofreason
soundofreason
1 year ago
Reply to  EUbrainwashing

Spot on. As a corollary if a migrant has arrived illegally from a safe country like France and with no prior residency rights they are a criminal and in no need of asylum. Detain them until they make arrangements to leave.

EUbrainwashing
EUbrainwashing
1 year ago
Reply to  soundofreason

Unless they could vote for you in the next election

sskinner
sskinner
1 year ago

“As the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, we welcome those fleeing violence and persecution in their own countries and protect the rights of all migrants, asylum seekers and refugees,…”

Damilola Taylors father said this about his son’s death:
“The England we knew had a lot of discipline but all that has now gone to the dogs because of the attitude of parents to disciplining their children.
“This is a civilised part of the world and this murder should not have happened in the UK, which used to be known as a world power. Once, people came here because they believed that if they got here, they would be safe.”

Here was his murderer. No Knighthood or Damehood for the Taylor family.

Rickie-Preddie
sskinner
sskinner
1 year ago

“This acknowledgement highlights Tara Theatre’s commitment to using theatre, artistry and creativity to reach across social, cultural and geo-political divides.” 

Who’d of thought? If only Shakespeare had been a bit more committed to using theatre, artistry and creativity to reach across social, cultural and geo-political divides. Just think how much richer his plays would have been.

Hester
Hester
1 year ago

It seems that Councillors in these boroughs believe they are running their own personal charities funded by the tax paying citizen, why are they not being charged with fraud?

soundofreason
soundofreason
1 year ago
Reply to  Hester

Misconduct in public office – up to life imprisonment.

Hound of Heaven
Hound of Heaven
1 year ago
Reply to  soundofreason

Except that Local Government is unaccountable and does exactly as it likes.

soundofreason
soundofreason
1 year ago

Make sure this is well publicised in the migrant camps in N France – so they’ll know where to head for when they arrive in the UK.

Grahamb
Grahamb
1 year ago

For sure a waste of money but of more concern to me is how such establishments create requested and unelected change in the local areas. Such positive support for external communities has to negatively impact the people already living in the area?

soundofreason
soundofreason
1 year ago
Reply to  Grahamb

No, no. Cultural enrichment donchano.

For a fist full of roubles
For a fist full of roubles
1 year ago
Reply to  Grahamb

Not a waste for all those performing arts graduates. It is about the only way they can boost their income apart from waiting on tables and being baristas.

kev
kev
1 year ago
Reply to  Grahamb

We need to stop pretending this is happening by accident or neglect, the whole “migrant” issue is planned across government, councils and civil society.

Its a true cash cow, for those with no morals and no sense of what being British means, sell outs in other words, enriching themselves at taxpayer expense.

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