I am very proud of Manchester’s history of welcoming those seeking sanctuary. For generations, our city has offered a home to refugees.  

But, the current lack of Home Office support for refugees is placing a serious strain on our local homelessness services.  

The recent move from the Government to clear the asylum backlog has meant there has been a sudden increase in people being evicted from their Serco accommodation once they have been granted asylum

Since April 2023, 479 individuals assessed by Manchester City Council’s Homelessness Service have stated that the reason for their homelessness was the requirement to leave accommodation provided by the Home Office. This is a 575% increased on the six months before.    

The Home Office process for moving on from asylum seeker accommodation is currently offering far too little and across Greater Manchester, local authorities are being left to plug the gap.  

Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig wrote to the Government to raise this issue and this week in parliament, I raised this further in Business Questions.  

Following on from this, alongside Councillor Joanna Midgley, I had a meeting with Minister Pursglove, Minister of State for Legal Migration and the Border, and Tracy Bridgett, Deputy Director of Resettlement at the Home Office.  

We had a detailed discussion about the challenges being faced in Greater Manchester and the clear need for more resources. I am glad we had the opportunity to raise this directly with the Minister and highlight how the current lack of Home Office action is having serious consequences.  

We urgently need the Government to address this growing crisis and I will continue to do all I can to support Manchester City Council’s work on this issue.