Bradford’s Reform UK leaders have proposed pulling out of Bradford’s current “Local Authority of Sanctuary” status, arguing the Council’s focus should be on Bradford residents.
But one opposition Councillor has described the move as “political posturing” that “would not fix a single service for a single resident.”
Another described it as “vice-signalling.”
Ahead of next month’s Bradford Council Meeting, the Reform UK Group has confirmed three motions which they will present, including withdrawing from the Local Authority of Sanctuary status.
The party says the proposals “may upset oversensitive political opponents but are firmly in the public interest.”
Bradford was first recognised as a City of Sanctuary in 2010, and Bradford Council awarded Local Sanctuary of Status in 2021.
The status “helps raise the profile of the city as being a safe and tolerant city where migrant communities can flourish.”
It involves the council guiding refugees and people seeking sanctuary to services including English classes, and hosting events for refugees.
A statement from Reform said: “Since assuming Local Authority of Sanctuary status, Bradford Council has been bound to provide additional support to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
“In recent years, the Council has led Refugee Week engagement, and utilised local libraries to celebrate all new arrivals into Bradford.
“Reform are proposing to withdraw the Council from this status, believing that scarce resources should not be spent on non-statutory pledges, and that public services should instead be prioritised for Bradford residents.”
When asked, a Reform spokesperson said they do not have a figure of how much the status costs the Council.
The Reform Group will also put forward a motion to “support white working class children, calling for Government priority in addressing their needs.”
Another will aim to introduce an “Article 4 Direction” across Bradford District, limiting local growth of Houses in Multiple Occupations (HMOs).
The Reform UK Group and Bradford Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Place commented: “Reform Councillors were elected to do things differently and reverse the decline which our District experienced under Labour.
“Our responsibility is to Bradford residents first, and that means prioritising public services for local people who live, work and raise their families here.
“It also means confronting serious issues which have been ignored for far too long, like encouragement of illegal immigration through generous taxpayer-funded provisions and unfair disadvantage felt by white working class children.”
Councillor Jayne Morgan, Executive Member for Healthy People, added: “Our motions may upset oversensitive political opponents but are firmly in the public interest.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked City of Sanctuary for their response to Reform’s plans.
A spokesperson for the group said: “Council of Sanctuary is about Bradford residents. People who settle in Bradford go on to become neighbours, friends, colleagues, business owners, volunteers and community leaders.
“The Council of Sanctuary programme has no influence over who is housed in Bradford or where people are placed – those decisions are made by national government, not local councils.
“Instead, it is about making sure people who are already part of our communities can rebuild their lives, contribute their skills and participate fully in community life.
“It helps councils join up existing services, strengthen partnerships and improve coordination, making services work more effectively for everyone who needs them.
“That benefits the whole city.”
Councillor Imran Khan, Leader of Bradford Labour Group, said: “Reform failed to deliver on various promises they made to Bradford residents this summer, so instead they fall back on their usual toxic recipe of hate, victimhood and division.
“Their proposal will do nothing to help a single person in the Bradford district.
“Councils have legal responsibilities to support all people in need.
“This is vice-signalling from Reform and all it does is damage integration and promote division and resentment, which helps no one.
“City of Sanctuary costs nothing but it supports refugees to integrate into British society – something that is a proud, patriotic and longstanding tradition of this country and which benefits us all.”
Councillor Hawarun Hussain, Deputy Leader of the Green Group on Bradford Council, said: “City of Sanctuary status has helped Bradford support people fleeing the worst horrors in the world, from Ukraine to the Rohingya, at a tiny fraction of the council’s budget.
“Scrapping it would not fix a single service for a single resident.
“The council needs to find upwards of £50 million in savings this year. Reform should know this by now, and if they do not, things do not bode well for the council budget they have to put together in a matter of months. This is political posturing, plain and simple.
“If Reform claim to put Bradford residents first, they should look at who is really draining this country. It is not refugees. It is the foreign-based corporations and billionaires sapping us dry, the same billionaires bankrolling Reform with millions.”
Councillor Matt Edwards, Leader of the Green Party in Bradford, questioned the tone of the Reform announcement, pointing to the council leader’s repeated claims that he wants to work across party lines.
He added: “Councillor Place has repeatedly said he is not playing party politics and wants to work with other parties. That is hard to square with an announcement that goes out of its way to insult anyone who might disagree.
“Then again, perhaps by ‘other parties’ he just means the Conservatives, who have propped Reform up at almost every turn since May. On the big decisions, they are already working as one.”
