What impact do refugees have on housing in Glasgow?

What impact do refugees have on housing in Glasgow?5 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePhil Sim,Scotland political correspondent,Aimee StantonandAndrew PickenGetty ImagesImmigration is not directly an issue for the Scottish Parliament, but it has become one of the most contentious elements of the election campaign.The MSPs elected on 7 May will not have a say over immigration policy, which is decided at Westminster. But every party has a view on it and a poll for the BBC placed it as one of the most important issues in the minds of voters.BBC Verify is examining claims made by political leaders about the impact of asylum and migration on housing.Scotland, like the rest of the UK, has experienced a boom in immigration in recent years.Official routes such as international student visas account for most of the recent spike in Scotland.But the far smaller number of people arriving via unofficial routes, such as small boats crossing the English Channel, often dominate the political debate about immigration.And there has been particular controversy about Glasgow.Scotland's largest city has a longstanding issue with a lack of housing, and was the first in the country to declare this an emergency in 2023.And a recent factor has been the interplay between Home Office attempts to clear the backlog of people awaiting asylum decisions, and Scotland's approach to homelessness.Why are there so many asylum seekers in Glasgow?Getty ImagesHundreds of protestors surrounded a Home Office immigration enforcement van in the southside of Glasgow in 2021More than 6,500 people are currently in Scotland seeking asylum and receiving Home Office housing support, according to the latest data. This is 6% of the UK total. These people live in a mixture of hotels and social housing while the UK government decides whether to allow them to remain in the country longer-term.More than half of them are in Glasgow, with the city hosting the largest number of asylum seekers among all UK local authorities - including 3,683 who are receiving housing support, and another 152 who receive other financial support but not accommodation.Glasgow signed up to the Home Office's dispersal scheme in 1999, making it a key hub for people being housed after arriving in the UK seeking asylum.In 2022, Home Office policy shifted to a "full dispersal" model, which meant asylum seekers could be sent to any council area.Data suggests Glasgow's overall share of Scotland's asylum seeker population (those in receipt of Home Office support) has been gradually falling.But ultimately a lot of refugees still gravitate to Glasgow even if they were housed elsewhere while awaiting asylum decisions, because there are established communities, charities and faith centres offering support in the city.The city is no stranger to protests about the issue of immigration, including a 2021 incident when a Home Office van was surrounded by protesters in Kenmure Street. Why are former asylum seekers claiming homelessness?Getty ImagesReform's Scottish leader Malcolm Offord has made a number of claims about the impact of asylum seekers on Glasgow during the election campaignAsylum seekers receiving Home Office support in Glasgow are currently all housed in long-term accommodation, rather than former hotels as happens in some other parts of the country.They get free meals and housing, and an allowance of £1.42 a day to live on - but are not generally permitted to work while their claims are being…

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