Sheffield

You may have noticed a large number of blue t-shirts in the photo below.. they belong to Hallam University students who have volunteered to work on a glossy newsletter about City of Sanctuary.  We'll tell you more as their work progresses, but for now we'd like to thank them for offering their time, and wish them well with the project! 

If you live, work or study in Sheffield you could join a team of people who work with the city council to make sure your thoughts and ideas are included in discussions about improving life in the city.

This year for example the "Sustainable Communities Panel" came up with the suggestion that the Council should encourage the government to support the right to work for asylum seekers. It was one of four ideas developed by the Panel and subsequently endorsed by the Council Cabinet, and we're now waiting to hear if central government will act on them.

The Council is looking for volunteers to join the Panel from February 2010. It would be great to get the voice of someone seeking sanctuary onto this. They will pay expenses for attending panel meetings. If you're interested please contact Laurie Brennan, tel: 0114 273 5199 or email: laurie.brennan@sheffield.gov.uk

And you can find out more about the Panel here: http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/sheffield-sustainable-comm...

Some of the most vulnerable people who found sanctuary in Sheffield may be left without any way of supporting themselves because of a legal ruling known as the ‘Slough judgement’. This is a court decision handed down last year which applied a new interpretation to Section 21 of the National Assistance Act (1948) that allows local authorities to support vulnerable people with accommodation and subsistence.

Following the 2008 ruling Sheffield (along with other local councils) has had to apply a much higher threshold of criteria, meaning about two-thirds of those previously receiving support are no longer eligible. Some of these people have been given alternative support by the Border Agency but some have fallen through both nets and are now effectively destitute. Because they were found to be ‘unlawfully present’ in the country the local authority can only support them if it would breach their human rights not to, which requires an even higher threshold of need.

Although these are not the only people left homeless because of the rules of the sanctuary system, the implications are alarming because they are individuals who have been identified as being particularly vulnerable. They are suffering from mental, physical or other impairments and will now depend on the goodwill and finances of an already overstretched voluntary sector to keep them alive.

Refugees who have been given asylum in Britain under the so-called ‘legacy’ system are being told they cannot apply for citizenship for a further five years. A recent change to the regulations means two Sheffield women have lost £1,000 each on wasted applications. Read more..