Members of Lichfield District City of Sanctuary believe that we live in an open-hearted place where all are welcomed and treated with respect and understanding. We support all people who face discrimination or exclusion.
We agree that the Nationality and Borders Bill currently going through parliament represents the biggest legal assault on international refugee law ever seen in the UK. The bill seeks to penalise those who arrive by irregular means in the UK to claim asylum, ignores the realities of why people have to flee and seek sanctuary and does not address any of the problems it purports to resolve.
Members of City of Sanctuary will join others holding home-made Orange Hearts at 11.00 on Saturday, October 23rd at the Lichfield Guildhall in solidarity with a national campaign to show support for refugees.
Our Home Secretary seems to think that doubling down on punishing and destructive policies, like all of those set out in this Bill, is what the public want. But new polling suggests otherwise. People want smart, common sense policies that show kindness and help people to rebuild their lives – policies like lifting the ban on work for people seeking asylum. The polling published by the #LiftTheBan campaign shows that 70% of people in the Home Secretary’s own constituency of Witham in Essex support giving people seeking asylum the right to work. 71% of people in Boris Johnson’s constituency also supported lifting the ban, and a staggering 77% of Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab’s constituents agreed.
We have known for a long time that banning people seeking asylum from working is not just nonsensical, but harmful to everyone involved. Of course, it takes the toughest toll on people seeking asylum, who are often left isolated, unable to support themselves or their families, and living well below the poverty line on just £5.66 per day. Lifting the ban would bring people out of these desperate situations while generating around £181 million every year for the Government in taxes and savings.
In spite of all this research and public support, this Government refuses to see sense on the issue. The Home Secretary does not agree with many of her own colleagues about lifting the ban. Instead, she is pressing on with the Nationality and Borders Bill even though she has been told time and again that it is full of inhumane policies that will not work and will cause untold suffering to so many people.
We encourage those who live and work in Lichfield, Burntwood and the surrounding villages to meet us at The Guildhall on Saturday, the 23rd October at 11.00. We hope that those who benefit from the many advantages of living in this beautiful city and its locality will support City of Sanctuary and join us in our work.
Nigel Gann
Secretary, Lichfield District City of Sanctuary