Deputy Leader of Brighton & Hove Labour, and Opposition Spokesperson for Children, Young People & Skills, John Allcock, on the importance of welcoming refugee children and lobbying government to do the same.

Children have been in the news a lot recently.

Covid-19 has made me think hard about the importance of family, safety and health – and despite a difficult six months, I know that my family are among the lucky ones.

So, when I saw the pictures of people crowded into inflatable boats, many of them children, I started to imagine about what it must be like to be a child running away from persecution and war, alone.

I wondered what terrible sights they may have seen and thought: “What if that was my daughter or my nephew?”

Brighton is proud to be a City of Sanctuary – a place of refuge to any in need and which supports significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children – those most vulnerable to being abused and exploited.

Brighton and Hove has already signed up for the voluntary National Transfer Scheme, committing to take 10 unaccompanied children from other local authorities each year.

This is in addition to our responsibilities to any child refugee who arrives here under their own steam…

Read Councillor Allcock’s full article in Brighton & Hove News: https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2020/09/04/we-should-welcome-the-vulnerable-children-arriving-on-our-shores/