Cambridge is a City of Sanctuary.

At the council meeting on 22 October 2015, councillors voted unanimously for Cambridge to become a City of Sanctuary – part of the UK wide network of people and organisations which seek to support people seeking sanctuary after being forced to leave their homes.

Over the last 10 years we have proudly welcomed and supported refugees navigating their new lives in Cambridge and the surrounding areas.

At the council meeting on 22 October 2020, councillors heard a petition from residents asking Cambridge City Council to extend support to enable more refugees or asylum seekers to settle in Cambridge. This included making council housing available and for the council to "continue to live up to their previous commitment to be a City of Sanctuary by inviting and welcoming more refugees" to Cambridge.

As a result, the council committed to settling 200 refugees over five years. A major part of the resettlement programme is the provision of housing. In 2021, the council said we would provide four council houses each year for the next five years to help reach that target.

The council has successfully delivered this pledge commitment, but since agreeing our pledge, millions more people have been forcibly displaced as refugees.

At the Housing Scrutiny Committee on 11 March 2025, councillors unanimously endorsed the recommendations for the Council to continue its commitment to resettle people seeking sanctuary in the city. It will do this by meeting its five pledge points:

1. Welcome refugees and asylum seekers to rebuild their lives in Cambridge and the surrounding areas through wraparound support under our resettlement programme.
2. Allocate a minimum of 4 City Council properties per annum, outside of the current Lettings Policy, for the next five years to help deliver the pledge to resettle refugees. With a proportion of these properties provided to refugees that require secure accommodation as prescribed by central Government refugee schemes.
3. Engage with the East of England Strategic Migration Partnership to identify suitable accommodation for refugees based on household needs.
4. Provide advice to refugees who are homeless to explore their housing options, including the Private Rented Sector.
5. Work alongside local communities, agencies, and charities to provide services that support welcoming, cohesion, and the removal of any barriers to resettlement.