Bristol Sanctuary Strategy and Action Plan
Bristol City Council
Leader of the Council
Tony Dyer
Start of Project
11/01/2025
End of Project
11/30/2030
Overview
Bristol’s reputation as a place of sanctuary stretches back centuries, and many migrant and diaspora communities have made their home here. Most recently we have welcomed people fleeing conflict in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and many other countries, as asylum seekers and refugees.
The Bristol Sanctuary Strategy 2025 to 2030 and Sanctuary Action Plan represent the council’s commitment to making Bristol a city of safety, a welcoming place where people seeking sanctuary are provided with the support, services, and opportunity to rebuild lives and thrive in our communities from the day they arrive. This includes an action plan with practical steps showing how we will use funding from central government to:
Meet the basic needs of sanctuary seekers.
Promote opportunity, including learning English and accessing employment, training and volunteering.
Build compassionate and resilient communities to support newly arrived people to meet local communities, build connections and find common ground.
Expected Impact
The Strategy was launched in November 2025 and partnership agreements were signed by January. Work is underway to:
Increase access to information, advice and guidance for refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants with unstable immigration statuses;
Increase the provision of English classes;
Work with schools to help them support asylum seeking, refugee and other migrant children; and
Work with communities and community centres to build strong, welcoming and inclusive communities and neighbourhoods.
Lessons Learned
Bristol’s strategy is informed by years of previous experience and global best practice. Key lessons have included the value of strong partnerships with voluntary and community organizations and with refugees and asylum seekers themselves. We are constantly learning and adapting to evolving need – reaching isolated refugees and asylum seekers living across the city, responding to national policy change, and investing in welcoming, resilient communities across Bristol.
Priority Objectives
Providing access to urban infrastructure, social services and education regardless of status
Realizing socio-economic inclusion
Engaging in regional and multilateral partnerships and increasing city-to-city cooperation
“Bristol welcomes refugees because everyone deserves safety, hope, and a place to belong. Our city has long been shaped by migration, and we believe that when people are given the chance to rebuild their lives in safety, they enrich our communities, our culture, and our shared future. Through this pledge, Bristol is reaffirming its commitment to compassion, dignity, and inclusion.”