The leader of Rochdale council has urged the government to ensure every area of the country is taking in its fair share of asylum seekers, claiming the current policy ‘continues to disproportionately affect' the borough. Councillor Neil Emmott’s angry letter to the home secretary comes after migrants were recently moved into hotels in the borough against the council’s wishes.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the local authority was also given very little notice ahead of around 80 asylum seekers who arrived late last month. Earlier this year, the government told councils they would be expected to take a share of asylum seekers under a new system of ‘full dispersal’, which aims to reduce the number living in temporary accommodation.
The Home Office says it is dealing with an ‘unprecedented increase in asylum cases’ but continues to ‘ensure that the accommodation provided is safe, secure and leaves no one destitute’. However, in a letter to Priti Patel, Coun Emmott writes: “We await the implementation of your Full Dispersal Plan and are aware that the detail of the policy is being worked through but recently, against our wishes, hotels in our area have been requisitioned to house people seeking asylum via illegal routes across the English Channel.
