An open letter to the home secretary, Amber Rudd

• WE are writing as a group of local residents, charities and councillors from across the political spectrum to urge you to reverse your decision to cap the resettlement of lone child refugees, as committed to by the government under the Dubs Amendment to the Immigration Act, after only resettling 350 children.

Children are among the most vulnerable individuals affected by conflict, natural disasters, trafficking, and war and, as a society and community of individuals and groups, we are deeply committed to ensuring they are safe.

We recognise that any of these children could be “our children” and that we have a moral and practical duty to help those in need. As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we believe our actions must be consistent with what we have signed up to. We must have the courage to act on our principles and avoid falling into the unsubstantiated belief that children who are in desperate need of care are “incentivised” to leave their homes, families and communities by our support.

The rationale given for rowing ,back on the original commitment to resettle 3,000 lone child refugees is based on a consultation with local authorities. This is deeply surprising, as in 2015 Camden Council gave a commitment to resettle up to 20 refugee families in the borough, and has now resettled 19 families and 12 Dubs children.

In order to keep the promise made in the Dubs scheme, each of the UK’s 418 principal councils would need only resettle around seven families each. As a society, we stand keen and ready to help. We urge the government to work constructively and proactively to enable local authorities to do their part, and to engage civil society in making this a success.

There are few issues on which there is such strong and united agreement: our letter joins with the appeals made by commissioners, national and international charities, politicians, public figures and people from across the country who believe we must not let down vulnerable lone child refugees.

We hope you will act to ensure we fulfil our obligations.

SIGNATORIES: Alexis Keir, Director, Elfrida Rathbone Camden, Charles Small, Director, Kingsgate Community Centre, Cllr Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Children, Camden, Cllr Flick Rea, Camden Liberal Democrat Party, Cllr Sian Berry, Camden Green Party, Edward Hall & Greg Ripley-Duggan, Joint-CEOs, Hampstead Theatre, Eleanor Botwright, Castlehaven Community Association, Emma Wiener, Play Work Manager, Three Acres Play Project, Father Andrew Foreshew-Cain, Vicar and General Synod Member, St Mary’s with All Souls, Kilburn and St James, West Hampstead, Geoffrey Baruch, The Brandon Centre, Halima Nessa, Youth Services Manager, Kentish Town Community Centre, Ibrahim Isse, Director, Somali Youth Development Resource Centre, John Boyle, Director, South Hampstead & Kilburn Community Partnership, Lukasz Konieczka, Director of Services, Mosaic LGBT Youth Centre, Marion Pike, Director, Maiden Lane Community Centre, Paul Perkins, CEO, The Winch, Paulette King, Play Work Manager, Talacre Play Centre, Raymond Simonson, CEO, JW3 Jewish Community Centre, Rebecca Walker, Project Manager, CARIS Camden Families, RevD Marjorie Brown, Vicar, St Mary the Virgin, Primrose Hill, Revd Paul Nicholson, Vicar, St Peter’s Belsize Park and St Saviour’s, Chalk Farm, Roz Paul, CEO and Artistic Director, Scene & Heard, Sally Warren, Plot 10 Community Play Project, Sarah Elie, Executive Director, Somers Town Community Association, Shelagh O’Connor, CEO, New Horizon Youth Centre, Sinem Cakir, CEO, MAC-UK, Tim Keightley, Executive Director, The Lighthouse ,Ubah Egal, Director & Social Work Lead, Camden Somali Cultural Centre, Barry Greengrass, Chair, St Mary’s Centre Community Trust, Karen Napier, Chief Executive, Wac Arts, RevD Andy Keighley, Holy Trinity, Swiss Cottage