This session will cover some of the many roles a local authority (council) can play in supporting migrant residents, with reflections on good practice as well as the systemic challenges that need to be overcome. Attendees will learn about the power that local authorities hold (and can share) to support migrant residents, which can be applied in their own areas.

SPEAKERS:

This session will be delivered by officers from different teams within Hackney Council. The session will be introduced by Councillor Carole Williams who has served as Hackney Council's Cabinet Member for Employment, HR and Equalities since 2016 and has been a councillor for Hoxton West ward since 2002. A dedicated advocate for social and economic justice, she leads the Council’s efforts to make Hackney an anti-racist borough.

As cabinet member for equalities, Councillor Williams has championed the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, spearheading the work to recognise Hackney as a Borough of Sanctuary. She has led community conversations on the hostile environment and takes pride in being the first ever cabinet member for Windrush, ensuring that the contributions of migrant communities are recognised and celebrated.

She also leads Hackney’s Review, Rename, Reclaim programme, which addresses how the borough’s public spaces reflect its diverse history.