The scale and pace of asylum decision-making – without appropriate data-sharing and funding for councils – has led to significant pressures on asylum seekers and councils, including homelessness and rough sleeping, the LGA has warned.
The Government has announced that the pre-June 2022 ‘legacy backlog’ of asylum cases has been cleared, and while councils agree that it is right that people receive certainty on their asylum claim, costs have effectively been pushed from central to local government.
There remains a significant ‘flow backlog’, with more than 90,000 decisions still to be made, and the LGA therefore expects that large numbers of people will continue to turn to councils for support.
The LGA continues to press for further flexibilities and more support for councils, given that the impact of asylum cessations is compounded by chronic housing shortages, the cost-of-living crisis and extreme funding shortages for councils.
Cllr Shaun Davies, LGA Chair, said: “Demand for temporary accommodation is already at an all-time high with councils struggling to source suitable accommodation and cater for current needs.
“Pushing tens of thousands of refugees out of Home Office accommodation onto councils will overload the system and mean they simply cannot provide for these vulnerable people’s needs.
“The Government must provide councils with more funding both immediately for this programme and in the future for their ongoing support for refugees, alongside better data, to help councils protect and provide for refugees.
“Asylum seekers need as much notice as possible before they have to leave their accommodation so they have time to find work and a new place to live.”