Reform councillors lose vote to withdraw from Wales’ Nation of Sanctuary commitment

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

An attempt by Reform UK councillors to pull out of a commitment to being a County of Sanctuary – and to reject Wales’ Nation of Sanctuary policy – has been defeated.

The bid by Flintshire Council’s Reform UK Wales group leader Cllr Helen Brown and her deputy Cllr Kris Salkeld aimed to force the authority to ‘step back’ from its commitment to being a Local Authority of Sanctuary and remove it from Wales’ Nation of Sanctuary policy – which offers refuge to those fleeing war and persecution.

According to Cllr Brown, the motion was to protect resources for residents.

“Our primary duty must be to the practical realities facing the people who live, work and pay taxes in this community,” she said.

“Right now, our local resources are stretched to breaking point. Look at the pressure on our essential public services. Social housing lists are an all-time high, with local families waiting years for a home.

“Residents are struggling to secure vital GP appointments and NHS dental care in this country is almost impossible to access. Adding further strain to these services is simply unsustainable.

“Taking on these responsibilities locally creates expectations that we cannot realistically fulfil. When local resources are diverted towards national issues it creates a sense of neglect among our residents. This breeds division rather than unity.

“We need a council that focuses entirely on its core responsibilities, fixing our roads, supporting local social care, protecting our public spaces and managing the local budget responsibly.

“This motion seeks to refocus the council on its statutory responsibilities while representing residents’ concerns about local accountability, public confidence, community safety and the effective management of the immigration and the asylum system.”

Dismissed 

The idea that asylum seekers were adding strain to Flintshire’s infrastructure was dismissed by Labour Cllr Bill Crease however.

“There were 3,308 people awaiting asylum application decisions in Wales in July 2026, of which 78 are in Flintshire,” he said. “That 3,308 represents 0.1% of the population of Wales.

“If you put them all into Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground, it wouldn’t even be one third full.

“If someone is granted refugee status or leave to remain, they have 42 days to find a place to live and secure their own income.

“Much of the misinformation surrounding this is the perception that refugees give priority consideration for housing. That’s not true. Once a refugee is given right to remain, they’re treated exactly the same as any other member of society.”

He told the council that between 2019 and 2025, the net cost to Wales of providing sanctuary was around £64 million, £58m of which went to Welsh families offering accommodation to Ukrainian refugees, and £4 million to helping people with permission to remain in the UK find work, learn English and Welsh, and settle into society – a cost equivalent to 0.05% of the Welsh budget over six years.

Responsibilities

Cllr Marion Bateman, who recently joined Reform, said being part of the Nation of Sanctuary was not necessary to provide support for refugees.

“The Nation of Sanctuary approach is a policy commitment,” she said. “It is not a substitute for our statutory responsibilities and we do not need membership of a program to demonstrate compassion, fairness, or humanity.

“Legal obligations remain and rightly so. This motion seeks greater accountability, meaningful consultation and proper consideration of community safety.

“Members will recall the planning application in my ward to change the use of Northop Hall Country House Hotel to a hostel accommodating more than 400 unvetted single male asylum seekers in temporary accommodation.

“That proposal did not consider the families living virtually on site or the residents of Northop Hall and the surrounding villages. Thankfully, on that occasion, the planning officers, the committee listened to the residents. The application was rejected.

“Consultation is not an obstacle to compassion It is an essential part of responsible decision-making.”

Opposition

Independent Cllr Antony Turton also supported the motion, stating that while he did not personally agree with it, his constituents in Hawarden and Mancot had given him a clear mandate to oppose the council’s sanctuary commitment.

For Labour Cllr Simon Jones, the suggestion Flintshire abandon its place within the Nation of Sanctuary policy was totally unacceptable.

“I speak against this motion not because I dismiss the concerns of our residents, not because I believe the Home Office always gets things right and certainly not because I think community safety should be anything other than a priority,” he said.

“I oppose this motion because I believe it represents something far more troubling than its carefully chosen words might initially suggest. We are being asked to withdraw Flintshire from a commitment to being a place of sanctuary. A place where people fleeing war, persecution and unimaginable suffering can find safety, dignity and compassion.

“History has shown us the dangers of dividing human beings into those who belong and those who do not. And history shows the importance of people being prepared to stand up and say enough.”

Cllr Andrew Parkhurst reminded members of the work of the late Cllr Teresa Carberry, who was instrumental in establishing Flintshire as a leading proponent of the sanctuary movement.

“Exactly two weeks ago Cllr Carberry was laid to rest,” he said. “Theresa was widely respected across this chamber and across Flintshire for her compassion, her decency and her determination to help people who had not always been dealt the best hand in life.

“Those qualities were recognised by political friends and opponents alike. Theresa championed the campaign for Flintshire to become a Local Authority of Sanctuary in 2019.

“For that reason alone, I find it deeply disappointing that one of the first acts we are being asked to consider so soon after her sad passing is to dismantle part of the legacy she worked so hard to establish.

“This is not just about policy, it’s about real people. It’s about families fleeing war, it’s about people escaping persecution. And it’s about men, women and children who have arrived here having lost homes, livelihoods and in some cases loved ones.”

Labour Cllr Christine Jones also acknowledged the work of another councillor who recently passed away, Cllr Hilary McGuill, for her work to support refugees and asylum seeking families.

‘Shameful’

Leader of the Eagle group Cllr Mared Eastwood said debating the issue while wearing poppies honouring those who gave their lives to end precisely this sort of rhetoric was ‘shameful’.

Cllr Fran Lister shared her personal story of supporting a family from Ukraine as she opposed the motion.

“When the war broke out in Ukraine we felt compelled to help along with so many other people who live in the wider community,” she said.

She took in a mum and her daughters and later her parents too. They remain in the UK today.

“They are still here in the UK. They are entirely self-supporting, working long, long hours, paying their council tax and contributing to our public services.

“We overcame language and cultural barriers and became really good friends. They shared their traditions. We shared ours. We shared food. They demonstrated such extraordinary resilience, determination and positivity in circumstances that most of us can barely imagine.

“Today we’re in a position to offer sanctuary. Tomorrow we might be the ones desperately hoping that someone, somewhere will show us the same compassion, which is why I am voting against this motion.”

At the vote, Reform lost the motion 37-10.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.