Promoted by Nicola Dinan at Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, on behalf of Reform UK at the same address. Reform UK Hertsmere is an approved local branch of Reform UK.
County of Sanctuary: Hertfordshire residents deserve a say | Reform UK Hertsmere
Council & GovernanceNews7 September 2026•1 min read
County of Sanctuary: Hertfordshire residents deserve a say
Hertfordshire County Council is considering committing the county to the City of Sanctuary programme. Yet residents have not been properly consulted, the full policy implications have not been published and no clear assessment of the potential long-term cost has been presented. Reform UK Hertsmere opposes Hertfordshire becoming a County of Sanctuary and is demanding transparency before councillors make any commitment on behalf of more than 1.2 million residents.
Article Summary
At a Glance
The key points you need to know.
What This Means For Residents
Becoming a County of Sanctuary would not automatically increase the number of asylum seekers placed in Hertfordshire.
However, it could commit the council to a continuing programme involving strategy changes, staff training, public campaigns, service reviews, partnership working and additional support initiatives.
The precise effect on Hertfordshire cannot be known until the County Council publishes the complete proposal, implementation plan and financial assessment.
That is exactly why councillors should not make the commitment first and explain it afterwards.
Key Facts
✓Hertfordshire’s estimated population is approximately 1.236 million.
✓County of Sanctuary status is an accreditation administered by City of Sanctuary UK.
✓Recognition normally requires a council motion and a publicly available strategy covering at least three years.
✓The criteria include staff awareness, organisational changes, public promotion and continuing engagement with sanctuary organisations.
✓Joining the network may not involve a membership fee, but delivering and maintaining the commitments can require staff time, council resources and public funding.
✓Sanctuary status does not decide how many asylum seekers are placed in an area; that is determined principally by the Home Office.
The Full Story
Hertfordshire County Council is considering whether Hertfordshire should begin the process of becoming a “County of Sanctuary”.
This would involve the council joining a national network and committing itself to policies and practices intended to welcome and support refugees, asylum seekers and others described as “people seeking sanctuary”.
This is being presented as a compassionate and inclusive gesture. But elected representatives have a responsibility to look beyond a reassuring title and establish exactly what the commitment would mean in practice.
More than 1.2 million people live in Hertfordshire. They deserve to know what is being proposed, what policies could change, what resources would be required and who would pay for it.
They also deserve to be consulted before a long-term political commitment is made in their name.
RESIDENTS WERE NOT ASKED
This proposal was not put directly to Hertfordshire residents. There has been no county-wide public consultation and residents have not been presented with a detailed assessment of its financial or operational consequences.
Electing councillors does not give any administration a blank cheque to pursue significant ideological commitments without transparency or scrutiny.
Before any decision is taken, the council should publish:
• The complete proposal and every commitment Hertfordshire would be making. • A full assessment of the effect on council services and policies. • The estimated cost over at least three years. • Details of whether the work would be funded through government grants, existing council budgets or additional local expenditure. • The staff, training and administrative resources that would be required. • An assessment of Hertfordshire’s existing capacity in housing, education, social care and other essential services. • The results of a proper consultation with Hertfordshire residents.
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✓Thousands of people have already signed a petition calling for Hertfordshire residents to be consulted.
✓The final date and agenda for any decision must be confirmed by Hertfordshire County Council.
What Happens Next
Reform UK Hertsmere is calling on Hertfordshire County Council to:
1. Publish the complete proposal and supporting reports. 2. Provide full financial and service-impact assessments. 3. Explain precisely what obligations and policy changes would follow. 4. Conduct a meaningful county-wide public consultation. 5. Delay any decision until residents have been given the facts and an opportunity to respond. 6. Hold a recorded vote so every councillor is publicly accountable for their decision.
More than 1.2 million Hertfordshire residents should not discover after the event that a long-term political commitment has been made in their name.
No decision without transparency. No commitment without proper scrutiny. Consult Hertfordshire residents first.
WHAT DOES “COUNTY OF SANCTUARY” ACTUALLY REQUIRE?
This is not simply a ceremonial title.
The City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network says councils seeking recognition are expected to pass a formal council motion, endorse its charter, work with refugee organisations and produce a publicly available strategy covering at least three years.
Its published criteria also include:
• Incorporating refugee, asylum and migration awareness into council business and staff training. • Demonstrating that the concept of sanctuary has been embedded throughout the organisation. • Supporting initiatives such as Refugee Week. • Promoting the council’s sanctuary work through its website and public communications. • Reviewing whether council services are accessible to people seeking sanctuary. • Working with the national network to make representations to government on policy issues. • Maintaining ongoing engagement with the City of Sanctuary network.
The organisation’s own guidance suggests practical actions including staff awareness training, public events, dedicated information pages and considering the provision of free school uniforms and meals to children from families seeking sanctuary.
Whatever view residents take of those proposals, it is clear that this can involve policy, officer time, training, public communications, partnership work and the continued use of council resources. It must therefore be properly examined before Hertfordshire signs up.
Residents must see Hertfordshire’s proposed commitments and costings before councillors vote.
WHO PAYS?
Some councils emphasise that there is no fee merely to join the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network. But the absence of a joining fee does not mean implementation is cost-free.
Strategies must be written. Officers must coordinate programmes and partnerships. Staff may require training. Services must be reviewed. Information and campaigns must be produced. Progress must be monitored and accreditation must be maintained.
This activity may be funded through:
• Existing council budgets. • Government resettlement or migration grants. • Other public-sector grants. • External funding and partnerships. • Additional spending approved through future council budgets.
Government grants are still taxpayers’ money. Staff time redirected from existing budgets is still a public resource. Describing expenditure as being absorbed within an existing budget does not make it free.
At present, Hertfordshire residents have not been shown a complete, independently scrutinised financial assessment of the proposed commitment.
DOES SANCTUARY STATUS CONTROL IMMIGRATION NUMBERS?
No. County of Sanctuary status does not itself determine how many asylum seekers are placed in Hertfordshire. Those decisions are principally made by the Home Office and its contractors.
It is important that the debate remains accurate.
The central questions for Hertfordshire are what additional commitments the County Council would voluntarily make, how those commitments would affect its policies and priorities, what resources would be required and whether residents support the decision.
REFORM UK HERTSMERE’S POSITION
Reform UK Hertsmere believes that compassion for genuine refugees fleeing war and persecution must be accompanied by honesty, proper controls and a realistic assessment of local capacity.
Hertfordshire already faces serious pressure on its roads, schools, housing, SEND provision, children’s services and adult social care. Council resources should be concentrated on delivering essential services effectively and securing value for the residents who fund them.
Reform UK Hertsmere will not support Hertfordshire becoming a County of Sanctuary.
We will not support an open-ended commitment, an ideological accreditation or the redirection of public resources without clear democratic consent.
Residents must come first. Any proposal of this significance should be subject to proper public consultation, transparent costings and a recorded vote so residents can see exactly how every councillor represented them.
