Funding source and allocations to Local Authorities for Hotel Exit and Rehousing: FOI release

Information requested

Details of any lump sum funding that has been allocated or paid to Scottish Local Authorities in connection with the rehousing of asylum seekers, refugees, displaced people from Ukraine, or individuals granted leave to remain, including those transitioning from hotel or contingency accommodation into long-term social housing, for the period 1 January 2023 to date.

Specifically you have asked for:

1. The name of each funding stream under which such allocations were made, the originating source of the funding (for example: Scottish Government core budget, UK Government transfer, Home Office funding, or other source) and the total national allocation under each funding stream.
2. The total amount allocated or paid to each individual local authority under each funding stream during the period specified.

Further you requested that details are only provided of total allocations made to each Local Authority and that you do not require a breakdown of how the funds were subsequently spent.

The names of the Local Authorities that you would like to receive information about are as follows:

Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeenshire Council
Angus Council
Argyll and Bute Council
City of Edinburgh Council
Clackmannanshire Council
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dundee City Council
East Ayrshire Council
East Dunbartonshire Council
East Lothian Council
East Renfrewshire Council
Falkirk Council
Fife Council
Glasgow City Council
Highland Council
Inverclyde Council
Midlothian Council
Moray Council
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles Council)
North Ayrshire Council
North Lanarkshire Council
Orkney Islands Council
Perth and Kinross Council
Renfrewshire Council
Scottish Borders Council
Shetland Islands Council
South Ayrshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council
Stirling Council
West Dunbartonshire Council
West Lothian Council

Response

Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths - including those seeking refuge and asylum from war and persecution - and supporting their integration into our communities.

However, the provision and funding for asylum accommodation and support across the UK is the responsibility of the Home Office. While the Scottish Government has provided limited housing-related support in certain specific circumstances, which I will set out within this response, for more detailed information you may wish to contact the Home Office to find out whether there is any information which they would be able to provide. You can email their FOI team at foirequests@homeoffice.gov.uk

You may also find it useful to consult the UK Government website for information that the Home Office publishes online. The Home Office regularly publishes statistics relating to the UK immigration and asylum systems. These can be viewed on the UK Government website: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

While our aim is to provide information wherever possible, some of the data that you have requested is the responsibility of organisations out with the Scottish Government and we therefore do not hold all the information relevant to your request.

Where the Scottish Government does not hold the requested information, formal notice is provided under section 17(1) of FOISA. In these instances, I will aim to signpost you to external bodies who may be able to provide the information you require.

Further, under section 25(1) of FOISA, we are not required to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. Where that is the case I will signpost you to information on publicly available websites. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

1. The name of each funding stream under which such allocations were made, and the originating source of the funding (for example: Scottish Government core budget, UK Government transfer, Home Office funding, or other source) and the total national allocation under each funding stream.

Because the majority of funding aimed at supporting refugees, displaced people from Ukraine, or individuals granted leave to remain will support the provision of additional services beyond housing, or because funding for housing-related support is not targeted at these groups and instead supports wider groups in Scotland, it has not been possible to provide a comprehensive figure for the total amount of funding allocated to local authorities by the Scottish Government on housing-related support for refugees, displaced people from Ukraine, or individuals granted leave to remain. Therefore I am providing formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.

For example, the vast majority of funding for local authorities is provided through a general revenue block grant. The Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending has been to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities.

The Local Authorities block grant is not broken down by specific service area or by the immigration status of the individuals who may ultimately benefit from local authority services. As a result, the Scottish Government does not hold information on how much of this funding is allocated by local authorities to housing or homelessness support for particular migrant or immigration status groups, as these decisions and associated records are held at local authority level.

I have been able to provide this detail for people displaced from Ukraine, and this is provided in Annex A.

In addition, the Scottish Government has made tariff funding available to several local authorities who received families from Gaza under the Medevac scheme during Autumn 2025. The tariff funding includes a housing element of up to £1,500 per family to meet immediate accommodation costs. A total of £15,000 has therefore been allocated for this support in FY 2025-
26. Below is a breakdown of spend by local authority:

Glasgow City Council: £6,000
Renfrewshire Council: £1,500
City of Edinburgh Council: £7,500

UK Government Funding

Local Authorities in Scotland support people who have come to the UK under resettlement schemes such as the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement or Afghan Resettlement Programme. Tariff funding is provided for these schemes from the UK Government. You may wish to contact the Home Office on the email provided above to find out whether there is any information which they would be able to provide.

2. The total amount allocated or paid to each individual local authority under each funding stream during the period specified.

As stated above, the Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending means we are therefore unable to provide the geographic distribution as we do not hold this information. Therefore, I am providing formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA.

I have been able to provide some of this detail for people displaced from Ukraine, and this is provided in Annex A.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202600508795 - Information Released - Annex A

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