Manchester refugee support hub tells of pressure on services
Council and charity bosses in Manchester have told how they are struggling to cope with a rising number of refugees sleeping rough or in tents in the city's centre.A council-funded support hub service said it had helped more than 1,000 people since March 2024, with nearly two thirds having been evicted from asylum hotels elsewhere in the country.The majority of them have fled wars in Africa, including Abdullah Zaeed, an English teacher who fled civil war in Sudan and went on to spend weeks living on the streets in Manchester.Manchester City Council deputy leader Joanna Midgley said the problem needs "a national answer".
She said refugees were attracted to Manchester because it is a "friendly, global city" but many end up sleeping rough because they "don't have priority need" for social housing. "Camping outside the town hall is not the answer to that, we want to try and get people to services where they can get the right help and support," she said.
Mr Zaeed, 31, spent two weeks sleeping rough after being evicted from his hotel in Fallowfield last year and has since found temporary accommodation. He said: "Some people say the UK is not like the UK we expected because we came from terrible conditions and we end up in terrible conditions again."Nearly two thirds of the refugees arriving in Manchester have received their refugee status elsewhere in the UK, according to homelessness charity Mustard Tree.It supported more than 1,000 refugees between March and December last year, with about 328 from Eritrea and 290 from Sudan. Many of the refugees have travelled to Manchester from Liverpool, Birmingham and Burnley, with others coming from other towns across the north of England.
Salah Benson, 20, who was also forced to leave Sudan due to the war, is due to leave his Manchester hotel soon after being given the right to remain. He has been volunteering as he tries to get a job and said many refugees travel to the city in the belief it offers a better quality of life than other places."Some of them, after they get their refugee status from other cities, they move and come to Manchester because they think they'll have better opportunities and its cheaper," he said.
'National answer'
About 66% of asylum claims were granted for refugees arrived to the UK on small boats and were moved to hotels in the year ending September 2024.Both Mustard Tree and the council told BBC Radio Manchester many refugees coming to Manchester would not receive social housing as they are young and single, and therefore would not be considered a priority for new homes. They also said the refugees have arrived in a city where the homelessness support system is already overwhelmed. "It's a national issue and we need a national answer to it," Ms Midgley said."Things like learning English, having access to training and there is a campaign also to let them have the right to work."That would all help because when the time comes that they get their decision to stay, they'll be more prepared to integrate and to participate in society."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Scottish independence 'already begun as UK political culture diverges'
Professor Danny Dorling of the University of Oxford told the Sunday National that the divergence is particularly evident in social policies such as the Scottish Child Payment. This policy, he said, has significantly helped tackle child poverty in Scotland while remaining almost entirely ignored by English political elites, who he accused of wearing 'unbelievable blinkers'. Dorling described the mid-pandemic launch of the Scottish Child Payment by the SNP in February 2021 as both 'really interesting' and largely 'unnoticed' south of the Border. READ MORE: Labour 'could lift 700,000 children out of poverty using SNP policy' The professor said the SNP had 'worked out the cost of living crisis could be just as deadly as the pandemic'. 'Nobody says it like that – but certainly it's important,' he went on. 'Prices went up 30% in a couple of years. That's really serious." In response, he noted, the Scottish Government introduced a modest £10 weekly payment for children under six in families claiming benefits. 'The clever thing politically is the point of principle. Once it's established, you're no longer debating it," Dorling said. He compared the move to an early New Labour policy: "In 1997, they introduced a very small fee for going to university. 'It's just about £1000 a year', right? We now have the highest fees in the world in England.' In Scotland, the pattern has repeated – the Scottish Child Payment has risen significantly to £27.15 per week, with the scope also expanded to all children under 16 in families receiving benefits. The University of Oxford's Professor Danny Dorling (Image: Newsquest) Dorling said: 'It's a lot of money. If you've got three kids, that's about £4000 a year extra untapered – you don't lose it if you get any other benefits – that money means that your children can eat and eat well, I mean healthily. 'This is quite an incredible policy and the cost is still pretty low.' The Scottish Child Payment has been cited as a key reason that child poverty rates are falling in Scotland even as they climb in all other UK nations. Figures published in March showed that 31% of children across the UK were in relative poverty, up from 30% the previous year. In Scotland, however, the rate had dropped from 26% to 22%. However, despite the policy's success – and adoption by other parties including Scottish Labour – Dorling said it was almost unknown south of the Border due to 'the unbelievable blinkers of English politicians and English poverty analysts not to look at this, to try to pretend it isn't happening'. The professor said that, in his opinion, the difference comes down to 'understanding the culture of English elitist politics'. READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Independence is at 54 per cent – so why won't the SNP mention it? He argued that many MPs, academics, and analysts emerge from a narrow 'dinner-party world' – studying PPE at top universities before entering policy roles – which creates intellectual isolation and resistance to external ideas. 'The fundamental argument that's always put forward when somebody says we could do this is 'it's not possible',' Dorling said. 'Now, if you've got somewhere within the boundary of the UK demonstrating it's possible, that's really annoying. That's the killer. 'Also, Scotland had the worst poverty rate in Europe when I was a child. The fact that Scotland [now] has a lower poverty rate than any region of England, it doesn't compute.' Dorling said that, as a geographer, he is typically looking abroad for policy inspiration rather than doing "what we always do in Britain, which is go 'we'll invent one out of our own head'". Nicola Sturgeon introduced the Scottish Child Payment while first minister (Image: Colin Mearns) 'But in the last five years, when I do public talks, I try to get people to guess [where this policy is] – that's the punch line, which makes people laugh – and after they go, 'is that in Iceland? is it wherever?', it normally takes them more than 10 guesses. 'I go, 'no, that's done in Scotland'. And they don't know. I can't explain it. I do think it's bizarre.' Dorling argued that this is contributing to a 'growing divide' between politics north and south of the Border 'since 1997, but earlier, if you look at the MPs elected as independents in the 1970s, a growing cultural divide between England and Scotland'. 'Scotland used to be in some ways culturally really part of the Union. You used to produce some of the most obnoxious government ministers. You go to Edinburgh University and learn how to be nasty and go into finance. You shouldn't underestimate how English Scotland was, even in my lifetime.' However, he said that, especially among young people, the divide between English and Scottish politics was widening. READ MORE: John Curtice issues verdict on Hamilton by-election after 'surprise' result 'You know, we no longer get any Scottish students,' the University of Oxford professor said. 'I haven't met in 12 years a student from Scotland. Why would you travel down to England and pay fees? 'So there is a way in which a form of independence has begun already. It's cultural, especially with the young people.' Dorling further argued that the Scottish Child Payment had been a 'tricky political decision because you are deciding not to spend money on other things, principally the old'. However, he said this had come from politicians like Nicola Sturgeon. 'These typically tend to be women in their 40s or 50s, quite strong, quite determined. In most European countries, this is a growing demographic of politicians,' Dorling said. However, he said that growing leadership demographic was not being reflected in England, another aspect of the increasing political divide north and south of the Border.
Pembrokeshire Herald
5 hours ago
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Changes to be made to Haverfordwest children's care home
WALES is only training around a third of the necessary secondary school teachers, with nowhere near enough recruits and no improvement in sight, an education chief warned. Hayden Llewellyn, the Education Workforce Council (EWC) chief executive, gave evidence to the Senedd education committee's inquiry on recruitment and retention on June 5 Mr Llewellyn identified a clear pattern in initial teacher education, with recruitment problems centred on secondaries and 'no problem' in primary schools. The head of the workforce regulator said the Welsh Government aims for about 600 primary teachers to be trained each year, with that number overdelivered in August 2024. But he warned of a stark picture for secondaries, saying ministers are seeking to train about 1,000 teachers each year but the EWC issued 369 certificates, according to the latest data. 'About a third of the number of secondary teachers that Wales is looking for were managing to train,' he said, adding that a further 34 trained through an Open University route. Mr Llewellyn stated the trend for secondary schools has gotten worse over the past ten to 20 years, with improvements during the pandemic 'dropping back significantly'. He told Senedd Members: 'I'm sorry to say, having tracked recruitment and retention for many years – I can't really see secondary improving.' He explained recruitment in some subjects – such as PE, history and geography – is fine but maths, English, sciences, Welsh and modern foreign languages are particularly low. Mr Llewellyn raised the example of 27 maths teachers being turned out in August, with Wales looking for nearer 130. 'It's the lowest I've ever seen over the years,' he said, adding that Wales wanted 80 to 90 Welsh teachers but only 20 completed training in 2024. He pointed to EWC data showing 75% of those teaching maths are trained in the subject and, speaking more generally, he said the number is lower still for sciences. He warned: 'Given the picture with recruitment, we could see that picture deteriorating.' Mr Llewellyn raised the example set by Scotland where teachers' registration is linked to a specific subject or phase. 'You cannot teach a subject you're not trained in,' he said. Eithne Hughes, the EWC's chair, added that some in Wales are teaching not just their specialism 'but possibly a couple of others, adding to the workload pressure'. Ms Hughes said: 'That becomes an issue when you've got reduced funding and headteachers just having to have somebody in front of classes. It doesn't support standards.' Mr Llewellyn said the number of Welsh-speaking teachers is 33% – higher than the census – but it has remained static despite initiatives, with a lower number among support staff. He told the committee the number of Welsh speakers currently completing training is about 20% for primaries and 18% for secondaries, against a target of 30%. 'When you magnify that down into particular subjects, you see those figures dropping,' he said, adding that only three of the 27 new maths teachers were Welsh speakers. Ms Hughes, a former headteacher in an English-medium school, told Senedd Members she found recruiting Welsh teachers extremely difficult during her experience. Pressed about the key barriers and why Welsh Government targets are 'continually missed', Ms Hughes pointed to work-life balance, policy overload, pay, and behavioural problems. She suggested teachers are expected to be a social worker, police officer and medical expert, stressing: 'We have to allow the business of teaching… to be at the core'. Mr Llewellyn agreed: 'What it means to be a teacher… in terms of workload, stress, bureaucracy, accountability, lack of autonomy, and pupil behaviour – it's a tough gig.' He urged policymakers to treat the causes rather than the symptoms as he questioned 'flashy' promotional campaigns: 'If what you're trying to promote isn't good, it won't work.' Pointing out that the starting salary for some bus drivers is near to teachers' in Wales, he warned: 'The reality is: to be convinced to be a teacher is increasingly unlikely.' Asked about retention, he said around 2,400 teachers leave the EWC register every year, concluding: 'We need to watch this really carefully because it's OK when you lose individuals from the profession and you're recruiting the number you need back. 'But… we are recruiting nowhere near the number of secondary and Welsh-medium teachers that we need. Attrition is OK if you're replacing but therein lies the problem.'
Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Our Auld Enemy rivalry will always be part of our DNA — but look to the US and Canada for the next great national drama
ZARA JANJUA Our Auld Enemy rivalry will always be part of our DNA — but look to the US and Canada for the next great national drama Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WE Scots pride ourselves on being world-class grudge holders. For centuries, the English have been our go-to national frenemy — the original source of cultural, political and footie-based beef. But while we've been locked in this existential tug-of-war with England, another rivalry has been quietly gathering momentum across the Atlantic. 4 Scottish Sun columnist Zara Credit: The Sun 4 Our Auld Enemy rivalry with England will always be part of our DNA Credit: PA 4 Donald Trump with new Canadian PM Mark Carney Credit: AP 4 Matthew Tkachuk of Team USA fights with Brandon Hagel of Team Canada during the first period in the 4 Nations Face-Off game Credit: Getty And I hate to say it, but it might just outdo ours in both stakes and pettiness. I speak, of course, of Canada vs the United States — a feud with the energy of a polite street fight outside a farmers' market, but one that could soon eclipse our age-old Anglo-Scottish sparring. One close point from the US to Canada is the border between Detroit, Michigan (US) and Windsor, Ontario (Canada), which spans the Detroit River. This week I flew to Detroit and crossed the border by car into Windsor. On one side, muscle cars and MAGA hats; on the other, maple leaves and passive resistance. Landing in the US, I found myself wondering: Have I ever tweeted something spicy enough to be flagged by Homeland Security? I'm a liberal Pakistani-Scottish woman with a fondness for human rights and sarcasm — so, probably. I even censored myself mid-flight while chatting to the woman beside me, just in case my views got me deported before I'd even finished my pretzels. As it turned out, I sailed through immigration. But the process felt Orwellian — less Big Brother, more Big Border Patrol. It was the first time I felt that my politics, passport and profile picture might be under review by an algorithm with a grudge. Trump crushes hopes of 'peace talks' call with Musk as he insists Elon has 'lost his mind' after feud went nuclear Last week King Charles and Queen Camilla landed in Ottawa, 400 miles from Windsor — like some royal advance party sent to remind Canada they're not available for franchise. Charles was there to open Parliament and, unofficially, to stick a diplomatic elbow between Canada and Trump's vision of turning it into a Walmart with trees. Trump had recently floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st US state — a suggestion so absurd it made The Handmaid's Tale look like a romcom. But Canadians, long stereotyped as gentle pacifists with a fetish for fleece, have started pushing back with the Elbows Up movement. Time to tan and pair up again TEN years. That's how long Love Island has been thrusting bronzed 20-somethings into a villa armed with veneers, trust issues, and bikinis smaller than their moral compasses. And somehow, despite the rise of AI lovers and Hinge horror stories, the show's stayed loyal to its original premise: couple-up or get dumped. In this economy? That's practically a marriage vow. Tomorrow, the 12th series washes ashore – and just like your ex, it'll turn up every weekday at 9pm, whether you want it to or not. But credit where it's due: in an age of ghosting, orbiting and situationships, the transactional honesty is almost refreshing. Find someone hot. Stay together. Win. If only the rest of us had a narrator explaining where we went wrong with that man from Fife who 'wasn't ready to label things'. 'Elbows Up, Canada!' is their national pep talk, a slogan born from ice hockey legend Gordie Howe, who once said: 'If a guy slashed me, I'd pull him close and elbow him in the head.' And now the nation has adopted that spirit. It features in a video campaign with new Prime Minister Mark Carney and actual national treasure Mike Myers, whose shirt: reads: 'NEVER 51.' That's the mood now — polite defiance in plaid. It's a masterclass in soft power. The Scottish-English tension may have Brexit baggage, but this? This is a full-blown cold war of the niceties. Miley is the adult now THERE are things no one prepares you for in life: pandemics, the rise of Crocs, and your dad dating Liz Hurley. But here we are – Miley Cyrus, patron saint of post-trauma empowerment, has broken her silence on her da Billy Ray's new love interest. Not a line-dancing divorcee or a country starlet, but the one and only safety-pinned icon of the Nineties. Yes, that Liz Hurley. Now, if you thought family drama peaked with Meghan and Harry, hold Miley's gluten-free beer. The former Disney rebel has navigated her parents' split, gone no-contact with Dad, and now emerged with the kind of perspective that costs thousands in therapy. 'I'm being an adult about it,' she told the New York Times, as if she's not clearly the only adult in the room. Should we have opinions on our parents' love lives? Absolutely not. Do we? Always. Especially when their new flame once dated Hugh Grant and probably owns lingerie more expensive than most mortgages. But Miley's honesty hits a nerve. That moment you realise your parents are fallible, with achy breaky hearts and questionable taste in post- divorce rebounds. It's disarming, dignified – and depressingly mature. Still, if anyone can make blended family dysfunction look glam, it's Liz bloody Hurley. And if Miley can 'wish happiness' to the chaos, maybe there's hope for the rest of us. Next year construction is due to finish on the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, named after the elbow-throwing icon. But this isn't just infrastructure — it's metaphor. A physical link between two nations increasingly trying to figure out how to stay connected without being consumed. The old Auld Enemy rivalry will always be part of our DNA — but if you're looking for the next great national drama, look to the US and Canada. It's neighbour vs neighbour, lumber vs logic, satire vs statecraft and Mike Myres vs Trump.
