City of Sanctuary has grown from its origins in Sheffield in 2005 to become an extraordinary network made up of hundreds of community groups, schools, local councils, universities, theatres, galleries and more.

The starting point for any local authority looking to find out more is to read the City of Sanctuary UK Charter which describes who we are and what we do.

The aims for the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network are:

• To support the development of a network of local authorities that are working towards the City of Sanctuary vision

• To promote the embedding of a culture and practice of welcome in local authorities to support the City of Sanctuary theory of change

To find out more go to Membership.

Note: Prior to Dec 2020, City of Sanctuary UK used to run a locale-wide assessment process for cities, towns and other places. After much reflection and consultation, this process which saw whole cities and town designated as places of sanctuary, was scrapped. What replaced it is an institution by institution approach to embedding welcome locally. The Local Authority network was born, along with the Council of Sanctuary award. Councils are a key local institution that has the potential to lead the way in creating a tapestry of organisations, institution and places that seek to include and support people of sanctuary seeking background.