Members of the Asylum & Migration Policy Working Group have been working hard advising and writing on local Green Party manifestos for the local exlections on 7th May 2026.
In particular we have written a large chapter on supporting migrants in Hackney where we hope to not only to have an elected Green Mayor but a significant number of councillors as well.
The main chapter reads as follows
Supporting migrants in Hackney
We welcome all the contributions that migrants and refugees make to British society and which help make Hackney the wonderful place it is today. The current national Labour government has introduced policies that cause untold harm to migrants and their families, and have used inflammatory rhetoric against migrants, emboldening the far-right to the point where we now have fascists marching on our streets. This is unacceptable. We are proud that Hackney is recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary, but this can only be upheld by ensuring that positive words become real actions that can make a difference in people’s lives. The Green Party seeks to establish a system that promotes social cohesion, and supports and encourages all migrants to put down roots in their new home. We want a Hackney where people from all walks of life can be part of a thriving and caring community, and we are proud to stand with migrants and refugees.
A Green-led Hackney Council will:
- Continue to invest in Hackney’s vital immigration advice services, and seek additional funding to support the expansion of this service.
- Ensure that those without documentation are given the help and support they need to regularise their status, and take steps to extend council services such as rough sleeping and domestic violence support so that immigration status isn’t a barrier.
- Proactively work to increase awareness of immigration advice services and ensure that immigration services are accessible to all, such as by integrating childcare facilities with free English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, and providing more opportunities for migrants to access services in their own languages.
- Ensure that people accessing our services can do so knowing that their information will not be shared with immigration enforcement agencies.
- Invest in training for residents who want to become migrant advisors, to help residents provide trusted advice to migrant neighbours in a non-institutional setting.
- Appoint a councillor as a Migrant Champion to act as an advocate for migrant residents, and for migrants’ rights issues within the local council and as part of the Migrant Champions Network.
- Lobby the government to end ‘no recourse to public funds’, and in the interim fill this gap in service wherever possible, including through access to free school meals, healthcare services and education.
The full manifesto can be found here:
https://www.hackneygreens.org.uk/manifesto
Other local parties have shorter pieces of text, for example Tower Hamlets:
https://towerhamlets.greenparty.org.uk/manifesto-2026/full-manifesto-2026/
Champion migrant rights and design ‘safety net’ services to support residents regardless of immigration status, ensuring information is not shared with immigration enforcement agencies.
And Southwark:
Our diversity is our strength. We welcome refugees and migrants, and oppose the Labour government’s divisive approach to migration.
In Wales, they have the following:
Wales should remain a welcoming nation.
We will strengthen support for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, ensuring access to housing, healthcare, learning Welsh and English, and opportunities to settle into their new community .
The Nation of Sanctuary programme will be protected and expanded, and the Migrant Victim of Abuse Fund will continue to support survivors who face barriers to safety.
Good luck everybody!
