Glasgow City Council leader says UK Government's decision on asylum hotels could be 'disastrous'

The leader of Glasgow City Council believes the UK Government’s decision to halve the amount of time migrants can spend in accommodation such as asylum hotels could be “disastrous for communities“.

The new system, which the Home Office introduced on September 1, allows migrants to spend 28 days in government accommodation instead of 56.

The decision to implement shorter stays comes in the wake of protests outside hotels across the UK, including in Aberdeen and Falkirk.

Susan Aitken says the previous reduction in “moving-on time” resulted in a number of refugees becoming homeless throughout Glasgow and wider parts of Scotland.

She believes the decision to reduce the amount of time asylum seekers spend in accommodation could have significant impact on the communities tasked with supporting them.

The council leader said: “Up until a few weeks ago, ministers in the current government were holding up their decision to allow refugees – who, let’s not forget, they have accepted have a legitimate need for asylum – a little more time to find accommodation as a really significant change in their approach; even as their officials were telling us they already planned to reverse it.

“This is a decision that reeks of panic and pandering. It’s 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.”

Shabana Mahmood is expected to unveil plans to move asylum seekers from hotels into military barracks as the Government seeks to harden its immigration policy amid rising numbers of crossings in the Channel.

The newly appointed home secretary is reportedly set to announce the use of Ministry of Defence sites to house people after a wave of protests outside migrant accommodation over the summer.