Author Topic: Andy Burnham's threat to stop housing asylum seekers in Gr. Manchester  (Read 2178 times)

celeste

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-46071135

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has threatened to block the region from housing any more asylum seekers.

He said there was "mounting chaos" in the government's dispersal system which was facing "catastrophic failure".

Mr Burnham said the region's public services cannot continue to support "disproportionate" numbers of people compared with elsewhere in the country.

The Home Office said it took the wellbeing and accommodating of asylum seekers "extremely seriously".

Mr Burnham has written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid demanding an urgent meeting over the issue.




He has accused the Home Office of showing "blatant disregard" to the issues the region is facing.

In his letter, he said that under the current system the north-west of England hosts 25% of the national population of asylum applicants who require housing and support - with Greater Manchester housing 70% of the region's numbers.



The latest figures show there are currently 6,681 supported asylum seekers in Greater Manchester - a 102% increase since 2003.

The mayor said demand for asylum accommodation had increased by 58% since April 2014.

The dispersal system places high numbers of asylum seekers in some of the country's poorest communities, largely due to the availability of cheap housing.

It means more than 180 local authorities across the country house no asylum seekers at all - including Prime Minister Theresa May's own local authority of Windsor and Maidenhead.
◾Safe housing 'should be a human right'
◾'Asylum seeker' hotel use investigated
◾'Too many' asylum seekers in city

Describing Greater Manchester's compliance with the system as "voluntary", Mr Burnham writes: "It cannot be right that towns in Greater Manchester have more asylum seekers clustered in a handful of wards than entire regions in the rest of the country."

The mayor raised particular concern about the Home Office's new asylum contract, known as Asylum Accommodation Support Transformation, which will see a new contract replace the current asylum housing provider Serco next year.

In the letter, he adds: "We fear that the Home Office's approach risks the catastrophic failure of the new asylum dispersal contract due to go live next year."

A Home Office spokesman said it would respond to the letter "in due course" and added: "We take the wellbeing of asylum seekers and the local communities in which they live extremely seriously."

It said it worked closely with local authorities across the country "to deliver on our statutory obligation to house destitute asylum seekers whilst their asylum claims are determined".

"Officials are working closely with local partners across the North West to understand and address any concerns they may have," it added.

« Last Edit: 21:10:26, 02/11/18 by celeste »
All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

St Chads Lad

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Parky

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Pupils in a Ipswich school have outed a 30 year old fellow pupil who blagged his way into this country and this school posing as a 15 year old , Probably on his way to Manchester as I post

St Chads Lad

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Yeah, the other students say he speaks little English and the staff can't communicate with him, one of many no doubt.
   Does no-one in this country give a toss anymore?

lozflan

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A revelation from Andy! What next? NHS under pressure,more homeless?
While watching Ambulance Service,on the box,you can see that they have to  do more of a Social Service they should't be doing.
« Last Edit: 06:52:13, 03/11/18 by lozflan »
Politicians and nappies must be changed often,and for the same reason

celeste

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The phrase 'We take (whatever) really seriously' is a stock phrase rolled out whenever there is a complaint, it usually means 'end of' instead of 'and this is what we are going to do about it'

Bah humbug!
All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

Parky

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The phrase 'We take (whatever) really seriously' is a stock phrase rolled out whenever there is a complaint, it usually means 'end of' instead of 'and this is what we are going to do about it'

Bah humbug!
and the tedious “ lessons have been learnt “ .

celeste

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All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

St Chads Lad

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An auto electrician working on my car a while back told me that a local cab company, whose vehicles he serviced, had the entire fleet hired by the Home Office for a day just to ferry asylum seekers up here from London.

celeste

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-46280754

A government pledge to reduce the number of asylum seekers being sent to Greater Manchester has been welcomed by the city mayor.

Andy Burnham had threatened to block any further allocations saying the region was struggling to support a "disproportionate" number of people.

He wrote to the Home Secretary Sajid Javid demanding an urgent meeting over the "mounting chaos".

In reply, Mr Javid promised to work towards a fairer distribution.

Latest figures show the number of supported asylum seekers in Greater Manchester has doubled since 2003 to 6,681 with demand for asylum accommodation increasing by 58% since April 2014.



◾More stories from the North West of England

Under the current system, the North West of England hosts 25% of the national population of asylum applicants requiring housing and support - with Greater Manchester housing 70% of the region's numbers.

'Fleeing persecution'

In a letter dated 19 November, the home secretary said his officials would work with Mr Burnham on a "more equitable distribution of supported asylum seekers".

He said it was part of a wider intent for a "progressive reduction in the proportion of dispersal in higher volume areas".

However, he added that this rebalancing was "dependent on expanding the number of local authority areas willing to accept dispersal".
◾No more asylum seekers, warns mayor
◾Safe housing 'should be a human right'
◾'Too many' asylum seekers in city

High numbers of asylum seekers are placed in some of the country's poorest communities, largely due to the availability of cheap housing, while more than 180 local authorities across the country house no asylum seekers at all.

Mr Burnham said he welcomed the government's "change of position" but said Mr Javid's "encouraging words" were only acceptable "if they are written into new contracts to make them binding".

"Greater Manchester has always welcomed people fleeing persecution and I don't want that to change.

"I'm... proud of that history... but we can't do it when the government is continually cutting the costs and not playing fair to the councils left to pick up the pieces of the extra support that people need."
All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

ExileSteve

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An auto electrician working on my car a while back told me that a local cab company, whose vehicles he serviced, had the entire fleet hired by the Home Office for a day just to ferry asylum seekers up here from London.


[/quote
 


The Kalergi Plan is gaining momentum.


St Chads Lad

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Yes Steve, the Kalergi plan has cropped up before on here, without a doubt it is now being carried out because populism is spreading around the world, and any whiff of Nationalism is a threat to the plan.