Serco emails spark storm
LEAKED emails prove Glasgow City Council was told of plans to lock asylum seekers out of their homes, it has been claimed.
Calls have been made for an inquiry into the emails, obtained under an FOI request.
AN investigation has been called for into claims that councillors and officials knew about plans to lock asylum seekers out of their homes.
E-mails show Serco, who has the contract for housing asylum seekers, contacted council officers in April, informing them of their plan for failed asylum seekers.
The correspondence also claims that Councillor Jen Layden, Equalities and Human Rights Convenor was also made aware of the firm’s intentions and Serco claimed she “approved”.
The official notice was sent out in late July, meaning the council official was aware of the risk to asylum seekers three months earlier.
Councillor Layden was sent an e-mail earlier in July but says she was on holiday and later told Serco she did not give approval for lock changes.
Kim Long, Green councillor for Dennistoun is seeking an inquiry into the claims.
She said: “The UK asylum process is rotten to the core Glasgow City Council should not be cooperating with the Home Office’s hostile environment as these reports indicate.
“We’ve today demanded a full enquiry by a Council scrutiny committee into who knew what and when regarding planned evictions this summer, as well as transparency over what has happened since then at the closed asylum taskforce meetings.
“The administration must act quickly to rebuild trust that will be shaken by these troubling reports.”
The council said that the information given to an officer about lock changes was not “escalated” meaning it was not passed on to senior management or to councillors.
The council said Serco sent an email to Ms Layden on July 17 while council was in recess and she was on holiday and the firm would have received an ‘out of office’ reply.
When she was made aware of the claims, she wrote to Serco stating she “did not believe she indicated support” for lock changing and did not support the policy.
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “The information was not escalated.
“Councillors were unaware of the lock changes.
“That is why they reacted urgently to stop Serco going ahead with their planned lock changes as soon as they found out.
“It is simply untrue to suggest Glasgow City Council officers or members were working with Serco and the Home Office to implement lock changes.”
The UK asylum process is rotten to the core