Glasgow braces for “humanitarian catastrophe” as asylum seeker housing crisis looms

City leaders in Glasgow are warning of a “humanitarian catastrophe” over plans to find housing for asylum seekers.

At an emergency meeting last week, councillors were told that 2,500 asylum claims would be fast-tracked, on Home Office orders, by the end of the year.

Glasgow City Council raised fears of an ‘unprecedented’ strain on housing in the city by the end of the year.

Strain on housing system in Glasgow

The council is already considering plans to make emergency shelters for asylum seekers that could lead to shutting down community services and leisure centres.

Glasgow City Council anticipates processing approximately 2,500 asylum claims in Glasgow by the end of the year, with an estimated 1,800 expected to be approved.

It is believed that the majority, around 1,400 individuals, will require accommodation.

Susanne Millar, of Glasgow’s Health and Social Care Partnership, told the meeting of the massive strain on the housing system in the city.

She told an emergency meeting: “When we tried to model what we would need in relation to permanent accommodation for that population, it resulted in an additional 1,100 lets from our [registered social landlord] partners.”

Ms Millar also expressed concerns about a potential surge in homelessness, rough sleeping, and a rise in the use of emergency bed-and-breakfast lodgings in the city.

Fast track plan will cost millions

Susan Aitken, leader of SNP-run Glasgow City Council, said: “This will cause a humanitarian catastrophe, not only for people whose applications are refused but also for those who receive leave to remain, who will then be evicted from their asylum accommodation within 28 days, without any available lets for them to be moved to.

“The City Council is being forced to consider emergency ‘rest centre’ accommodation in facilities such as sports centres, of the type we would usually only deploy for very short periods after people are forced to leave their homes, for reasons such as a fire.”

Aitken claims that the fast-tracking plan will cost the council £53 million to administer.

She adds: “If it is carried out it will cause huge suffering, not only to asylum seekers and refugees, but also to thousands of other vulnerable people in the city who rely on services that have already been stretched to their limits by the cost-of-living crisis.”

A Home Office spokesman told the Daily Mail: “We have taken immediate action to speed up processing times and cut costs for taxpayers.

“We offer ample support once claims have been granted through Migrant Help, access to the labour market and advice on applying for Universal Credit.”

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