Fear of tensions as 238 asylum seekers ‘secretly’ housed in city
Council not warned by Home Office that it was placing cases in city centre hotel
HUNDREDS of asylum seekers have been ‘secretly’ moved into a Birmingham city centre hotel by the Home Office without consulting city leaders.
Birmingham Council bosses have condemned the move and have accused the Home Office of leaving them in the dark.
The council only became aware of the plans to relocate the 238 asylum seekers days before the first were due to arrive.
The council said it had no time to prepare nearby residents and businesses or to put in proper support for those claiming refuge.
It is understood the council was informed of plans to relocate the asylum seekers into the city on May 21, less than a week before the first were due to be placed there on May 27.
In a furious letter to the Home Officer, council leader Ian Ward warns the decision, combined with the lack of extra funding and already high number of relocated asylum seekers, could fuel community tension.
In a letter to the junior minister Chris Philp, Cllr Ward said the city may now refuse to accept resettled asylum seekers in future.
He writes: “The existing total of service users in Initial Accommodation in Birmingham is 593 individuals, far higher than any single other local authority and in fact a higher number than any single other region in the country.
“All this activity has been totally unfunded by central Government and this remains the case in this time of national crisis.”
Cllr Ward also goes on to warn of ‘significant’ community tensions once rough sleepers reconvene in the area, citing the hotel’s location, and other long-term issues with community safety and criminality.
The UK has a legal responsibility to settle anyone claiming political asylum while their cases are assessed, including children and adults fleeing violence and persecution.
Under existing settlement programmes, local authorities and the Home Office are expected to work together to identify suitable housing. Local politicians say they accept the need for the city to take their share of people in need, but say they’ve had little chance to integrate new arrivals into the community.
They have also questioned the Home Office’s ability to ensure the wellbeing of the new arrivals after nine individuals at one hostel developed Covid-19 symptoms back in March.
Shabana Mahmood, Labour MP for Ladywood, added her voice to concerns that the Home Office did not consult with city officials. She said: “Councils have been left in the dark as to what is happening in their local areas. This lets everyone down – both the asylum seekers themselves and local residents across our city.
“If ministers fail to take this issue seriously and adopt an holistic approach with an allocation of increased resources where necessary, they will fail some of the most vulnerable people our city is rightly standing ready to support.”
Despite the short notice, a number of community groups have recently been working with the newly-arrived asylum seekers.