Doubts about Dudley councillors' claims they have no say on 'how many asylum seekers the borough takes' raised by MP
Dudley councillors’ claims they have no say on how many asylum seekers the borough takes have been questioned by an MP.
Labour MP for Dudley Sonia Kumar told the Local Democracy Reporting Service local authorities do have an opportunity to influence the placement process.
Dudley’s Conservative cabinet member for housing dismissed the claim and insists the MP got it wrong.
Ms Kumar said: “The council does have an opportunity to reject people that are coming to be housed in the borough, there is a consultation.
“The Home Office will say ‘there is X of people – this is the capacity, you should take these on’.
“The council does have a consultation period, I’m not saying they have got the ins and outs of this – they can reject people and say this is not appropriate.”
Leaders at Dudley Council argue they cannot influence the numbers which are sent to the borough; there are around 500 asylum seekers in Dudley according to the council’s website.
Councillor Ian Bevan, Dudley cabinet member responsible for housing, said: “It is the Home Office which has responsibility for providing accommodation for those seeking asylum.
”There is a national dispersal system which has been designed to ensure a proportionate allocation of asylum seekers across the UK, and although the local authority is not directly involved with these placements, it is expected to participate in the system.
“Local authorities cannot veto their agreed intake. If a proposed placement exceeds this threshold there is a brief consultation period during which a local authority can raise objections, although the final decision rests with the Home Office.
“Thankfully we are not in this position as our numbers are well managed and well within the threshold. Clearly the MP has been misinformed, to avoid further confusion I would be happy to arrange a briefing for them.”
