Mark Whitehead 22 June 2023

Manchester leaders call for urgent action on asylum seeker hotels

Manchester leaders call for urgent action on asylum seeker hotels image
Image: Dragon Claws/Shutterstock

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, his deputy Kate Green and 10 council leaders are calling for urgent action to house asylum seekers and refugees who have been given notice to move out of hotels.

Four of the hotels are in the Greater Manchester region and residents have started receiving 90-day notices to leave.

Demands in a letter to home secretary Suella Braverman and levelling up secretary Michael Gove include a call for the notice period to be extended and a funding package for local authorities that can be spent flexibly across homelessness, language teaching, schools and integration and employment support.

They say: 'We are proud to welcome people seeking asylum and refugees to our city region, to celebrate all of our diverse communities and to work together to ensure that they can thrive.

'In Greater Manchester, we will continue to do so and we condemn recent divisive rhetoric which misrepresents international obligations to people seeking asylum and mischaracterises people seeking sanctuary on our shores because of how they arrive.'

The Government says it is committed to speeding up asylum processing, offering protection to those who need it and reducing costs to the public purse.

A spokesman said: 'We want to help rebuild lives here in the UK while ensuring local councils are supported to deliver different housing needs for people in the areas that they call home.

'That is why we are giving councils across Greater Manchester more than £23m over the next two years to prevent homelessness - this can be used to work with landlords to provide temporary accommodation or find new housing.'

LocalGov Weekly Round Up image

LocalGov Weekly Round Up

A pivotal week for councils sees fresh devolution plans, new service pilots and key legal and political battles, writes LocalGov editor William Eichler.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Social Worker Fostering

Durham County Council
Grade 9 - £35,412 - £39,152 (pre-progression) / Grade 11 - £40,777 - £45,091 (post-progression)
Do you believe every child deserves to grow up surrounded by love, family, and a sense of belonging?   We’re on an exciting journey to expand our Conn Seaham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Social Worker

Durham County Council
£35,412 - £39,152 (pre-progression) / £40,777 - £45,091 (post-progression)
Do you want to support parents to achieve meaningful and sustainable change and help more children to remain safely within their birth families?   We Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Social Worker

Durham County Council
£35,412 - £39,152 (pre-progression) / £40,777 - £45,091 (post-progression)
Are you an experienced social worker who is passionate about working with vulnerable teenagers?   This is a fantastic opportunity to join our growing Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Deputy Manager

Durham County Council
Grade 11 £40,777 - £45,091
Deputy Manager – Children’s Homes Service Salary
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Enhanced Teaching Assistant

Durham County Council
£26,403- £ 28,598 pro rata
Enhanced Teaching Assistant – 20 hours term time plus specified days. Monday - Friday 8.30am – 12.30pm Grade 5, £26,403 pro rata. Required 2nd June 20 Peterlee
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner