City calls for other authorities to take more asylum seekers
Appeal to Government as Afghan crisis goes on
BIRMINGHAM houses more asylum seekers than any other local authority, figures reveal. And the city council has now told the Government other towns and cities must provide more housing for refugees from Afghanistan.
Leaders in other big cities, such as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, have expressed similar concerns.
Birmingham City Council last week said it was proud of its ‘City of Sanctuary’ status which welcomes refugees.
But in a statement, the council also made it clear it had concerns about whether the task of caring for refugees was being shared equally.
Figures compiled by the House of Commons Library reveal why the council may have concerns.
It shows that there were 1,547 asylum seekers receiving support from taxpayers in Birmingham in March this year, more than in any other local authority area.
London has a number of local authorities, and there are a total of 6,903 asylum seekers receiving support in the capital when their figures are added together.
But outside of London, Birmingham is caring for more people than any other town or city.
Birmingham is the largest local authority in the country, so it might stand to reason that it is housing more people.
But the city also has more asylum seekers relative to the population as a whole, compared to many other places.
More should be done to ensure that other local authorities play their part in this humanitarian effort Councillor John Cotton
Across the UK, there are six asylum seekers receiving support for every 10,000 people in the general population. In Birmingham, the figure is 12.
However, some other towns and cities have taken in more people, relative to their size. Middlesbrough has 38 asylum seekers per 10,000
people in the local population, and Stoke-on-Trent has 34. Salford, in Greater Manchester, has 25.
Areas housing a significant number of people tend to be in the north or Midlands. By contrast, in the South East of England as a whole, there is one asylum seeker for every 10,000 people.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham highlighted the issue, saying on Twitter: “The current situation is unfair, unsustainable and increasingly chaotic.”
The figures don’t include Afghans who have been airlifted to safety in recent days.
But the concern is that the same pattern will be seen when they are provided with new homes.
Councillor John Cotton, Birmingham’s Cabinet Member for Social
Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities at Birmingham City Council, said: “As a City of Sanctuary, Birmingham will of course welcome refugees fleeing Afghanistan and we’ve already agreed to accommodate 80 Afghan interpreters and their families, the first of which are now starting to arrive.
“This is a compassionate city and we will work with partners to ensure that the new arrivals are made to feel welcome as they start to build new lives here.
“But we need action not words from the Government on this and, in addition to greater support for the towns and cities that have opened their arms to refugees, more should be done to ensure that other local authorities play their part in this humanitarian effort.”