Council to review data-sharing agreements over Home Office immigration raids

Lewisham Council is set to launch a review of its data-sharing and service agreements in an effort to ensure the London borough is not helping with Home Office immigration raids.

Councillors at the Green-run local authority will vote on a motion setting out the proposals on Wednesday (22 July).

The motion - proposed by Green Party member Cllr Hau-Yu Tam - calls for the council to condemn the increase in immigration raids in the borough and the “regressive” settlement and asset-seizure policies put forward by the Home Secretary.

If passed, the council would resolve to conduct a comprehensive review into council systems and processes "with the aim of refusing to assist the Home Office or Immigration Enforcement teams during raids - including via police cooperation".

The motion adds: "The review will look at all data-sharing and service agreements to ensure the Council is not facilitating a digital hostile environment and that there is a clear firewall between Council services and immigration enforcement."

According to the motion, the Government has carried out immigration raids on a number of businesses in Lewisham in the last year, including on car washes, Chinese takeaways, restaurants and nail bars.

These raids have formed part of a “hostile environment strategy” that "targets vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are fleeing war and persecution", the motion claims.

It warns that this "hostile" approach will worsen under planned changes to the asylum and immigration system announced by the Government last year, which will extend the route to settlement from 5 years to a baseline of 10 years – and up to 20 years for refugees. The Home Office also proposed forcing refugees with assets or income to contribute to their bed and board.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “While all immigration enforcement visits are intelligence led, we make no apology for joining forces with local authorities to enable information sharing and ultimately fighting criminals who fuel immigration crime.

“Since coming into power, we have increased Immigration Enforcement action to the highest level in British history. This has delivered an 83% rise in illegal working arrests and 77% rise in raids between 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2025.”