Glasgow seeks pause on asylum seekers as costs balloon
Glasgow City Council has said the Home Office must pause dispersals to the city, which takes in by far the greatest number of asylum seekers anywhere in Scotland.
It is one of the most significant asylum 'dispersal centres' in the UK as a whole and leaders have warned the cash-strapped council cannot cope with the financial pressure.
An investigation by The Herald has revealed that the costs of supporting asylum seekers in Glasgow are ballooning from an estimated £26.5 million in 2024/25 to a projected £79m in 2027/28.
Despite UK Government plans to have asylum seekers spread more evenly across the country, it has also emerged that of 360 British regions, one in six were not housing any asylum seekers as of the end of last year.
READ MORE: 'Important milestone' as SNP launch new disability benefit across Scotland
With 67 asylum seekers per 10,000 people in the city, Glasgow is the UK's biggest city for asylum seekers outside of London per head.
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: 'We've been trying to ask the Home Office for a pause in dispersal so that we can work through the backlog of cases. We've written on several occasions saying this. And we haven't had a response to our most recent letter asking for a meeting.'
The council has made attempts to address the issue, with Glasgow's homelessness convenor Allan Casey requesting a meeting with Home Office minister Angela Eagle (below). Her trip was cancelled at the last minute and has not been rescheduled.
(Image: Richard Townshend/UK Parliament)
Meeting papers for the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board state that homelessness services are coming under pressure owing to 'a significant increase in positive leave-to-remain decisions for asylum seekers'.
Increased demand 'as a result of the streamlined asylum process' means 'it is likely that [the council] will be unable to offer temporary accommodation on first request for all households', according to the papers.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross threatened with expulsion amid row over 'shushing SNP minister'
A UK Government spokesperson told The Herald: 'Despite inheriting huge pressures on the asylum system, we are working to make sure individuals have the support they need following an asylum decision to help local authorities better plan their assistance with homelessness.
'We are working right across the UK to give councils as much notice as possible of newly recognised refugees, have doubled the move on period to 56 days and have mobilised liaison officers to support asylum seekers in Glasgow City Council area.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
2 hours ago
- Spectator
The British right is embracing direct action
First, it was Robert Jenrick tackling fare dodgers. Then it was Gareth Davies pursuing a thief. You might be forgiven for thinking that copies of Marvel's Justice League were circulating in Portcullis House. But among elements of the British right there is a renewed appreciation of the benefits of direct action. Shut out of office until at least 2029, Tory and Reform politicians are finding ways to channel their frustrations into novel, low-cost, forms of protest. Nigel Farage's aides have embraced humorous stunts such as beaming their membership numbers onto CCHQ and handing out blank books to journalists titled Highlights from my first 100 days, by Kemi Badenoch. Others, like Jenrick, try to think of new ways to land messages. He is vox-popping voters and leading a rally against China's super-embassy. Badenoch has also sought to position herself as the leader of the family farm tax protests, speaking as the keynote speaker at the London rally in November. Lawrence Newport's 'Looking for Growth' group has meanwhile taken to filming themselves cleaning up graffiti on the London Underground. This tactic is not completely new. At the Margaret Thatcher conference in Buckingham in March, older attendees talked fondly of 'Operation Pony Express'. This was a reference to the 1976 Grunwick strike, in which postal workers refused to handle deliveries for a photographic laboratory at which there was a strike. Volunteers – such as members of the newly-formed Freedom Association – wanted to help the business survive the strike, to strike a blow against trade union power. They smuggled mail out of the Grunwick depot and transferred thousands of processed films to plain envelopes to prevent the unions from identifying them. The orders were then reposted in hundreds of post boxes across the country, to keep the mail-order business going. It served as a way of energising activists and giving heart to a cause. Good politicians recognise that the legislative process is just one route to achieve their ends. But in the internet age, there is an obvious incentive to produce moments or clips of the unusual or subversive, which are more likely to be shared by fans and critics. A right wing MP is unlikely to secure a legislative triumph in the current House of Commons; a viral clip online is a much more realistic goal. Elite media gatekeepers no longer serve as a block on ambition. The use of such tactics could be seen as an indictment of impotence. Yet, in a highly cynical age, there is a merit to the 'show, don't tell' approach to politics. It is not enough, now, for politicians to simply claim to care about crime; they need to demonstrate it too. Some stunts, like Farage's book, are purely humorous; others, such as LfG's graffiti clean, aim to shame Transport for London into stepping up their game. At a time when a powerful sense of hopelessness is gripping much of the right, such case studies offer a way of empowering individuals and cheering their supporters. Expect to see more non-violent direct action in future.
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
‘SNP gravy train' must end, says Findlay in Holyrood pitch
'Wouldn't that be some prize?" he asked delegates gathered in a Murrayfield function room. "Swinney paying the price for his abysmal record.' 'We will aim to take on and defeat the SNP in more constituencies. Not just hold on to what we have but win more," he said. 'Yes, this is optimistic if you look at the opinion polls, but it is also realistic," he added. "If you speak to people, we can return constituency MSPs in each of the seats we won last time.' Polling expert Mark Diffley told The Herald on Sunday he believed it was realistic to suggest the Tories could retain their constituencies, but they would likely struggle to keep their list MSPs. 'It is true that, despite their vote share in both parts of the ballot having halved since 2021, they have a better chance in the constituencies than on the regional list. This is largely because in the seats they hold, the SNP is second — and their vote share has also dropped significantly. 'The regional list is a different story, with Reform doing well and significantly eating into Tory representation. On average, current polling suggests the Conservatives will keep their five constituency seats but lose around 15 list seats — leaving them with around 15 MSPs, down from 31.' Asked whether he was trying to present a setback as a success, Mr Findlay told journalists: 'This is an interesting interpretation — and lots of these pointy‑headed pollsters have been proven wrong in the past. 'I mean, nobody saw some of the most recent results. Everyone called that wrong. That is why I am absolutely optimistic and confident.' Elsewhere in his speech, the party chief outlined new policies in what he called a 'blueprint for a common‑sense future for Scotland.' He said the Tories would scrap the SNP's 'unaffordable and unachievable' 2045 net zero target, replacing it with an 'Affordable Transition Fund' — using proceeds from leasing offshore wind to cut £100 from every household energy bill. He also pledged a Taxpayer Savings Act 'to get the books in order and deliver better value,' claiming a Scottish Conservative government would find £650 million worth of savings by reversing SNP ministers' £20,000 pay rise, cutting quangos, and reducing the number of special advisers and ministers. Civil service staff would be reduced to 2015 levels — from 28,800 to 17,400 — and stricter rules on public sector pay rises enforced. 'The size of the SNP state is absurd,' Mr Findlay said. 'There are more of the most senior grade of executives in public sector Scotland than there are paramedics. I know which ones we need more of. 'The only get‑rich‑quick scheme in Scotland is snaring a first‑class ticket on the SNP gravy train — or maybe it is a camper van.' He accused the SNP of building an 'obedient client state,' adding: 'But where is the benefit to workers and businesses who fund this through their sky‑high taxes? 'We would review every one of these public sector jobs while enforcing much stricter rules on pay rises.' Proposals to strengthen transparency included a new Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency — 'run by business leaders' — and an 'Accountability and Transparency Index' to scrutinise organisations receiving public money. Mr Findlay also attacked both the SNP and Labour, describing Mr Swinney as 'an Amstrad politician in the Apple age' and said Sir Keir Starmer was 'wrecking Britain.' He described the 2026 election as 'a referendum on the SNP's record' — 'a binary choice between the change that Scotland so urgently needs or more of the same from John Swinney.' Mr Findlay added: 'If John was honest, he would acknowledge that Nicola Sturgeon is still in the driver's seat. 'Frankly, it will not be John Swinney winning another term — it will be the Nicola Sturgeon era all over again. 'By the election next year, her book will have been published. Its title is Frankly. 'Chapter One — Frankly I had no idea about Peter Murrell. Chapter Two — Frankly I had no idea about the campervan. Chapter Three — Frankly I do not know what a woman is. 'If this tome is an account of Nicola's achievements, then it will be a very slim volume. Perhaps it will sit on the shelves next to the books I have written — which can be found in the true crime section.' He made a direct appeal to disillusioned voters, admitting the Tories had lost trust in recent years: 'We lost our way. In government, taxes rose too high, immigration was not brought under control and we stopped focusing on improving people's lives. 'I know next year will be difficult. We have a mammoth task to win back public trust. Even earning the right to be heard will take a huge and collective commitment. It will not happen overnight. 'But we must have confidence in the enduring appeal of our core values — the strength of what we stand for.' Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said 'Russell Findlay's increasingly desperate attempts to stay relevant are becoming hard to watch. 'No one will forget the damage the Tories have done to our country - inflicting 14 years of chaos on us in government and providing the SNP with cover for their failures in Scotland. 'The Tories' hopes of unseating John Swinney next year are comically optimistic - but we can remove John Swinney as First Minister by electing a Scottish Labour government.'
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Grooming gang review to link illegal immigration with child abuse
The grooming gang review is expected to link illegal immigration with the exploitation of British girls. The Home Office will publish Baroness Louise Casey's review into the sexual abuse of girls and young women by gangs next week. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, announced the three-month national audit in January to establish the current scale of grooming gangs across the country, explore the 'societal and cultural drivers' and look into the ethnicity of the gangs. A link between undocumented arrivals to the UK and grooming gangs will be made in the review, sparking fears in the Home Office it could trigger civil unrest, a source familiar with the report told The Sun. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to be told that white British victims were ' institutionally ignored for fear of racism ', The Times has said. The new report will also recommend the Prime Minister launches a new national inquiry to explore the issue of the perpetrators' race and allegations of a cover-up. Recommendations have also been made regarding the licensing of taxis, as many of those who were later found to have abused girls were cab drivers. Sir Keir Starmer's Government has previously resisted calls for a national inquiry from the Conservatives, Reform UK and some Labour MPs. The Tories have added an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to require ministers to start 'a national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs' within three months. Police forces and prosecutors have historically failed to take action against groomers, some of whom are of British-Pakistani origin, amid fears they would be branded racist or Islamophobic. While head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Sir Keir admitted in 2012 that in 'a number of cases presented to us' there was 'an issue of ethnicity that has to be understood and addressed', saying that prosecutors must not 'shy away from that'. The Home Office has not denied the inclusion of illegal migration in the report. A government spokesman also refused to deny the report would be linking the grooming scandal with illegal immigration. They said: 'Nothing is more important than protecting vulnerable children, and we are determined to crack down on vile grooming gangs once and for all. 'That's why we ordered a rapid national audit to uncover the true scale of this horrific abuse. 'This report – alongside our response – will be published shortly.' 'No excuse left' for Starmer Responding to reports that Baroness Casey will advise the Government to launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs, Kemi Badenoch said: 'If Baroness Casey is now calling for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, it proves what I've been saying all year: only a full statutory inquiry will expose the truth, bring justice for survivors, and stop this evil from happening again. 'Yet every time we've called for action, Keir Starmer has said no. He's put process over justice, legal caution over moral clarity. If Casey joins survivors and the Conservatives in demanding an inquiry, the Prime Minister will have no excuse left. 'Starmer must stop being a lawyer and start being a leader.' Group-based grooming, which is classed by police as a form of child sexual exploitation, accounted for 717 offences reported to police in 2023 and 572 in the first nine months of 2024. Grooming represents 17 per cent of group-based child sexual offences, with the biggest threats to children being abuse within the family or by other children. Group-based child sexual abuse accounted for 4,228 offences, or 3.7 per cent of all 115,489 child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes in 2023, including online. It comes as seven men were convicted on Friday of sexually exploiting two white teenage girls in Rochdale, Lancashire. They preyed on the vulnerabilities of victims who had 'deeply troubled home lives' to groom them as 'sex slaves' from the age of 13 on various dates between 2001 and 2006, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard. The men, aged between 41 and 67, plied the girls with drugs, alcohol and cigarettes before expecting them to have sex 'whenever and wherever' the defendants and other men wanted in flats, cars, car parks, alleyways and disused warehouses. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, called for the case to push Sir Keir into announcing a new national statutory inquiry 'to get to the truth'. He told The Telegraph: 'I will push this to a vote in Parliament next Wednesday. But so far Labour has refused to have one, which simply continues the cover-up. If they vote against a proper inquiry next week, it will be a day of shame for Labour.'
