More than 1000 Glasgow asylum seekers have been told they could be removed from their homes in the city and sent elsewhere in Scotland with just a few days’ notice

 

The UKBA (UK Borders Agency) have cancelled the asylum accommodation contract for Glasgow City Council, without any warning, meaning that all the asylum seekers living in Glasgow City Council accommodation (around half) will now have to move to “alternative accommodation in the Scotland region.” Whilst the standard of accommodation provided by Glasgow City Council has been consistently high, the two private contractors who are expected to take responsibility for housing people are Angel and Y People, both of whom have a really terrible track record in the standard of housing provided and the quality of service given to people.
 
This means the UKBA is forcing people to move at the drop of a hat, with only two pieces of luggage each, pull their kids out of school, and leave their friends, neighbors, communities and church groups, which will be deeply distressing and disruptive, particularly for vulnerable people with health problems or who have been the victims of torture.  It also may affect people’s ability to contact their lawyers and make a good case for their asylum application.  
 
Here’s the letter sent by the UKBA to 600 families living in Glasgow, as well as the Scottish Refugee Council briefing paper, talking about who will be affected, and the benefits of staying with Glasgow City Council as an accommodation provider.
 
There are also two Herald articles about this which you can read here and here.
 
We’ll talk about this at next week’s meeting (6pm, committee room 3 of the QMU), and it’s really important that we mobilise and do as much as we can to prevent this happening.
 
There’s going to be a protest outside the City Chambers on monday at half past ten, I hope you can all make it down to show our support. 

In the meantime, you can contact the Head of UKBA Scotland (phil.taylor@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk ) and the head of Social Wok at Glasgow City Council (david.crawford@sw.glasqow.gov.uk ) asking them tore-negotiate the contract, or your  MP, or the Home Secretary (mayt@parliament.uk) and ask them to intervene.