107 participants from Local Authorities and Local City of Sanctuary Groups from around the UK joined us for the virtual launch event of the Local Authority Network.

The Local Authority Network, made up of councillors, council officers and local sanctuary groups, is a platform for exchange of best practice which will encourage the ‘learning’, ‘embedding’ and ‘sharing’ of sanctuary principles throughout council policies, procedures, and service provision.  The network will also aim to influence policies both at a local and national level

At the launch we heard from:

• Sian Summers-Rees, Chief Officer from City of Sanctuary UK
• Councillor Kevin Bonavia, Cabinet Member for Democracy, Refugees and Accountability, Lewisham Borough Council & Acting Steering Group Chair
• Helen Clancy, Migration, Asylum Seeker and Refugee Coordinator, Swansea City Council
• Thanuja Hettiarachchi, Coordinator for Swansea City of Sanctuary 10th Anniversary
• Forward Maisokwadzo, Inclusion Advisor to the Mayor of Bristol

We are grateful to all our speakers and participants for joining us and marking what is a major milestone in our joint work with Local Authorities!,

You can find all the presentations below: