OXFORD'S advice centres have followed Oxford City Council in pledging non-cooperation with the Home Office's 'hostile' environment on immigration.

Agnes Smith Advice Centre, Oxford Citizens Advice, Oxford Community Work Agency (Barton Advice Centre and Oxfordshire Welfare Rights) and Rose Hill & Donnington Advice Centre have all made the commitment to continue to support all people.

In a joint statement, they said: "Advice centres offer free, confidential and impartial advice. As advice agencies, we pledge to continue to represent and advocate for all people who seek our advice as equal members of the community, regardless of their immigration status.

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"Our advice services are safe places and we welcome people seeking our advice free from fear of immigration enforcement.

"We have not reported and will never report anyone who seeks our advice to the Home Office for immigration enforcement and will continue to ensure our advisers correctly handle sensitive personal information to prevent this from happening.”

At a full council on July 22 members unanimously passed a cross party motion reaffirming the council’s commitment to being a 'city of sanctuary', upholding the principles of dignity and respect for all. It also signed up to Oxford’s commitment to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

The motion emphasised the importance of helping people access services through refugee and asylum support groups and advice centres.

It also called on the council’s partners not to cooperate with the hostile environment by passing on personal data to Home Office immigration enforcement.

At the same meeting councillors appointed Councillor Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini as Oxford’s first migrant champion.