The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan has come under fire after a funding crisis left Southall Black Sisters’ lifeline support service for migrant women facing closure.
Hina Bokhari OBE, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the London Assembly, pressed Sir Sadiq at City Hall on Thursday (11 September 2025) over the future of the London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (LHAWAS). The programme provides safe accommodation, casework, counselling and immigration advice for women with no recourse to public funds.
The charity warned that by the end of September 2025, it faced a six-month gap in funding until new money is due in April 2026. Despite City Hall recognising the project’s importance, the charity said no transitional support was offered, forcing the group to raise emergency funds.
Ms Bokhari said: “It’s utterly shameful that this Mayor allowed a funding crisis that put hundreds of the most vulnerable women in London at risk. Southall Black Sisters provide an absolutely lifesaving service to migrant victim-survivors and minoritised women, yet they have been completely abandoned by City Hall.”
She added: “The Mayor’s own Violence Against Women and Girls strategy commits to supporting the most vulnerable, including migrant victim-survivors and those from minoritised backgrounds, yet cutting off public funding for six months and threatening the survival of this lifesaving service directly contradict these promises.”
Since 2019, LHAWAS has supported more than 700 women with accommodation and thousands more through advocacy work in partnership with groups including nia, the Asian Women’s Resource Centre and Ashiana Network.
Although emergency funding has now been secured until March 2026, its future remains uncertain.
Selma Taha of Southall Black Sisters said: “While we’ve managed to bridge the gap for now, the future remains incredibly precarious. Under the rules of the Mayor’s restrictive new funding model, organisations like ours which works in partnership with multiple other small, specialist organisations won’t be eligible.”
Ms Taha added: “That’s why we’re launching a public petition urging the Mayor to act now to prevent any further funding cliff edges and ensure long-term future funding to continue the lifesaving support we provide to migrant victim-survivors and minoritised women.”
