THE new leader of Glasgow City Council has backed calls for a temporary pause on housing asylum seekers in the city, warning that local services are struggling under an unsustainable burden.
Ricky Bell argued that halting new dispersal placements and reforming Scotland’s homelessness legislation are essential to relieve severe pressure on resources.
However, refugee charities have pushed back, arguing that the city’s housing emergency stems from decades of chronic social housing underfunding rather than asylum seekers.
Official data shows Glasgow hosts the highest number of Home Office-supported asylum seekers of any local authority in the UK at 3938. The figure outpaces other major UK cities, including Birmingham with 2136, Liverpool with 1961, and Coventry with 1700.
Speaking to STV News, Bell insisted that pausing arrivals would give the local authority breathing space to manage the situation properly.
Bell said: “What we’ve called for is a pause. I don’t think we need to stop altogether, but I think we need a pause to get us into a better situation to be able to cope with.
“There are neighbouring authorities round about Glasgow who’ve got empty homes just now, and we’ve got a queue of people looking for homes. We could move some of those people and that would help the situation immediately.
“Let’s make sure we get this done properly so it’s a good experience for Glaswegians and for the people that are coming to the country.”
The local authority spent £38 million managing homelessness applications from refugees in 2025/26, with officials projecting the annual cost could climb to £56m in the coming year.
While claims are being processed, the UK Government funds asylum accommodation. Once leave to remain is granted, individuals are evicted from Home Office accommodation within weeks and must source their own housing.
Under Scottish homelessness legislation, individuals are entitled to register as homeless in any local authority area. Many newly recognised refugees choose to present in Glasgow due to its established diaspora communities and support infrastructure.
Bell added: “I don’t think it’s sustainable. We are basically carrying the burden of homelessness for the whole of Scotland. The UK Government is processing an enormous number of people through their system.
“I think even the Scottish Government realise that what’s currently happening is unsustainable, and so something has to give.
“I think there’s opportunities for them to make this a more straightforward process that doesn’t land the burden in Glasgow.”
Refugee rights organisations warned that a pause will do nothing to resolve the overall shortage of affordable accommodation.
A Scottish Refugee Council spokesperson said: “The housing crisis has not been caused by refugees and people seeking asylum. They are being trapped in a process that results in homelessness by design.
“We are all being let down by a broken asylum system and decades of chronic underfunding for social housing.
“Instead of blaming refugees for Glasgow’s housing emergency, politicians should focus on finding solutions and creating a system that works for people seeking protection and the communities who welcome them.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are aware of the acute pressures facing Glasgow City Council, as a result of the UK Government’s mismanagement of asylum policy. While the legal duty for preventing and responding to homelessness sits with local authorities, we are providing Glasgow Council with £123m this year through our Affordable Housing Supply Programme, alongside additional support for the resettlement of refugees.
“We are taking decisive action to tackle homelessness and are investing up to £4.9bn across Scotland over the next four years to support the delivery of around 36,000 affordable homes.
“We are working with Glasgow City Council on a number of actions to help reduce their homelessness pressures as there is not one single solution to address the issues facing the city.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to successfully transitioning refugees from asylum accommodation and mitigating the risk of homelessness. That is why we extended the grace period from 28 days to 42.
“We are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites.
“We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, engaging with local authorities to reduce the impact on communities.”
