Glasgow City Council has warned that a change to the UK government's asylum accommodation rules could trigger a "disastrous" surge of homeless refugees in the city and overwhelm local services.
Council leader Susan Aitken said the decision to reduce the period granted to people given protection to remain in official accommodation from 56 days to 28, which took effect on Sept. 1, risks prompting thousands to travel to Scotland because of its legal right to housing policy. She has asked the UK government for additional funding to help the city cope.
Glasgow hosts the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in the United Kingdom, with 4,023 people registered — the equivalent of about 65 per 10,000 residents — and has increasingly attracted homeless refugees from other UK cities, including Belfast, Birmingham and London. The local authority previously warned of a £110 million shortfall in the funding required for homelessness services over the next two years.
Aitken said the shorter "move-on" period represented a policy U-turn and would leave local authorities and charities struggling to find accommodation for people who have been granted protection. "This is a decision that reeks of panic and pandering," she said, adding that it was "hard to see it being anything other than disastrous for refugees and for the communities trying to support them when the Home Office washes its hands."
Charities and tenant groups in Scotland called on both Westminster and Holyrood to provide more support and to introduce a fairer dispersal system. Sean Clerkin of the Scottish Tenants Organisation said Glasgow should be made "a special case" and receive additional funds, and urged the Home Office to distribute refugees more evenly across Scottish councils. Alex Fraser, a spokesperson for the British Red Cross, warned that reducing the move-on period would increase homelessness and destitution among people granted protection and put further pressure on local authorities.
The change in the move-on period forms part of wider measures announced by the UK government to discourage irregular migration. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government could suspend visas for countries that refuse to accept the return of their nationals, and said she had secured an agreement with counterparts from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners to boost returns of foreign nationals with no legal basis to remain. The Home Office later clarified that any visa restrictions would be imposed by Britain.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused Mahmood of "shameless spin" over the announcement. The government's proposals have prompted concern that targeted countries might respond with reciprocal measures, a development that could have implications for trade and for institutions that rely on foreign students.
Political reaction in Scotland has been mixed. The Scottish Conservatives criticised the Scottish Government and First Minister John Swinney, saying an open immigration stance risks increasing pressure on housing and local services. Swinney has said Scotland remains a place of welcome for refugees and supports measures to ensure people have access to housing and services.
While immigration policy is reserved to the UK government, many services for refugees and asylum seekers are devolved to the Scottish government, including health, education and homelessness accommodation. Council leaders and charities have urged co-ordinated action between the UK and Scottish governments to prevent a sharper housing emergency in cities already facing capacity constraints.
Demonstrations have taken place in recent weeks outside asylum hotels in Perth, Aberdeenshire and Falkirk, reflecting tensions in communities where accommodation has been used to house people seeking protection. Council officials and charities say additional funding, a clearer dispersal mechanism and coordinated planning are needed immediately to avoid rising homelessness among people granted asylum and to relieve pressure on frontline services.