The leader of Glasgow City Council has told the UK Government that the local authority would not give its consent to dock a barge for asylum seekers in the city.

The city council said that it had been made aware that the Home Office was exploring a potential site for a barge within Glasgow that could be used to house asylum seekers while they wait for their claims to be processed.

Council leader Susan Aitken took to X/Twitter yesterday to insist that the local authority would not allow the city to be used as a site for the barge.

‘The UK Government wants to give consent to an asylum barge being sited in the city. We will not give it,’ she wrote.

‘Glasgow’s communities are proud to be beacons of support and integration for asylum seekers and refugees. This is the polar opposite of that.’

The UK government wants @GlasgowCC to give consent to an asylum barge being sited in the city. We will not give it. Glasgow’s communities are proud to be beacons of support and integration for asylum seekers & refugees. This is the polar opposite of that https://t.co/cOyRsowyaD

— Susan Aitken (@SusaninLangside) August 7, 2023

A Home Office spokesperson said the Government had a statutory responsibility to provide accommodation for asylum seekers while their claims are considered.

‘We are committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and continue to engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation.’

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: ‘The council was made aware that agents working on behalf of the Home Office were exploring a potential site for a barge within Glasgow.

‘The council has made it clear to the Home Office that it does not support such a move.’

On Monday, the first group of asylum seekers began boarding the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset.