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

William Eichler, editor of LocalGov.co.uk, reflects on the stories that captured readers’ attention this week.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Ceremonies Co-ordinator

North Yorkshire Council
£27,254- £29,064
Are you a ‘people person’ looking for a role where you can engage with members of the public? Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Health and Fitness Co-ordinator

North Yorkshire Council
£34,434 to £38,220 per annum
We are seeking enthusiastic and proactive Health & Fitness Co‑ordinators North Yorkshire / various / hybrid
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Residential Assistant - ASC

Essex County Council
£25081.0000 - £25395.0000 per annum
Residential Assistant - ASCPermanent, Part Time£25,081 up to £25,395 per annum Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Highways Officer

North Yorkshire Council
£34,434 - £38,220 per annum
Are you interested in joining our friendly and welcoming Area 5 Highways team Skipton, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Registrar

North Yorkshire Council
£29,064 - £34,434
As a Registrar, you’ll play an essential role within North Yorkshire’s Registration Service Selby, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council
Linkedin Banner