Accommodation for people seeking asylum: Letter to UK Government

To: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood

From: Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville

Dear Shabana,

I was surprised and disappointed to learn about Home Office plans to accommodate people seeking asylum in Cameron Barracks in Inverness from the media yesterday rather than through a formal notification.

Scottish Government recognises the need to provide safe supported accommodation for people seeking asylum who are fleeing persecution. We agree that long-term use of hotel accommodation is not suitable and that alternatives must be sought. New approaches require considerable coordination across partners to be successful however, and where this
has taken place from an early stage, such as in the planning for the Afghan cohort to be accommodated at Cameron Barracks, the work has been delivered well.

While asylum policy including all asylum accommodation is the responsibility of the UK Government, proposals such as the use of sites as large as Cameron Barracks should not be imposed on local communities but should be developed in partnership with local government, partners and communities.

I am therefore deeply concerned about the lack of any meaningful engagement prior to this announcement. Going public on your plans before there has been timely and appropriate discussion at local and ministerial level has deepened my concerns, which will no doubt be similarly viewed by the local community.

I would like to request additional information regarding the following specific issues:

• The suitability of the site to provide adequate accommodation and support for this cohort of people seeking asylum.

• The anticipated high level of support needs that these new arrivals will have and the pressure this will create on local services, particularly health services.

• The need for reassurance that full wrap around support services will be provided on site and how capacity of local third sector services will be built to provide this.

• How potential increases in local community tensions will be managed and what plans are in place to support local community cohesion impacted by this decision and the lack of engagement.

• What financial support will be made available to cover the increased costs that will fall on local public services as a result of this decision.

Scotland has a long history of welcoming refugees and people in need of protection, and this is down to the hard work of the local authorities who welcome people from around the world into their communities.

We stand ready to work constructively with the UK Government to provide safety and sanctuary for people seeking asylum and newly recognised refugees and support integration into our communities. Such collaborative working is the only way to ensure a coherent approach to asylum accommodation is achieved - one which works for both local communities and people seeking asylum.

I wrote to you over a month ago seeking an urgent meeting to discuss plans for asylum accommodation and it is frustrating that this hasn’t taken place. I understand our offices are working to get a date finalised and I hope that this can be agreed today.

Yours sincerely,

Shirley-Anne Somerville