The most senior leaders of Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, United Reformed Church and Baptists churches across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire have called for an urgent public examination into the working of the current asylum system.

This follows a recognition that there are injustices and difficulties for people claiming or seeking asylum in the current system, which were highlighted at the Conference of the Churches Refugee Network in May 2005 and through the organisation Enabling Christians in Serving Refugees (ECSR).

The ten church leaders have issued a letter to all their churches across the two counties urging them to do all they can in promoting a re-examination of the asylum system and to acknowledge work already being done in many churches to support people seeking asylum.

Regional Minister for the East Midlands Baptists Association the Rev’d Steve Mantle said: “We believe an independent, non-political commission, provided with all the expertise and practical experience necessary to conduct a wide ranging and impartial investigation of the entire asylum system, is urgently required. We hope such an investigation would make recommendations for improvements and reform. The current system has serious failings affecting very vulnerable people, and we believe Christian churches, working alongside other faith communities, are well placed to bring such a commission into being as a service to the common good”.

Specifically, the leaders believe the current system fails in the following areas:

• people who have a right to claim asylum in the UK may be unable to make that claim freely;
• those who do make a claim may not be dealt with fairly in view of their language difficulties and often traumatised state;
• claims are too frequently rejected on purely technical or procedural grounds, and the claimants then treated as ‘failed asylum seekers’;
• the subsistence provided to claimants is inadequate, and may be even be withheld altogether;
• removals take place in such a way as to violate human rights;
• the asylum issue, which affects extremely vulnerable human beings, has been unduly politicised, especially in the last General Election campaign.

Leaders who have signed the letter are as follows:

The Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, Bishop of Derby
The Rt Revd David Hawtin, Bishop of Repton
The Rt Revd George Cassidy, Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham
The Revd Wesley Blakey, Chairman, Nottingham and Derby Methodist District
The Rt Revd John Rawsthorne, Bishop of Hallam
The Rt Revd Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham
The Revd Terry Oakley, Moderator URC
The Revd Vernon Marsh, Chairman, Sheffield Methodist District
The Revd Steve Mantle, Regional Minister, East Midlands Baptists Association
Lt Col Trevor Davis, Divisional Commander East Midlands Division Salvation Army

Ends

See the letter that churches will be receiving from church leaders.