How Reform ‘misinformation’ campaign sank town’s refugee sanctuary plan

Caroline Reynolds, a Liberal Democrat councillor, proposed making Weston-super-Mare a council of sanctuary. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/The Guardian

With its donkey rides, historical grand pier and long sandy beach, Weston-super-Mare is a quintessential Victorian seaside resort; busy with ice-cream toting crowds in the summer but imbued with the laidback charm of a town that moves at a slower pace.

But in the last few months, the town has become deeply divided over a proposal to become a council of sanctuary, a project designed to improve efficiencies in the provision of support for refugees and asylum seekers.