Swinney backs pause on asylum arrivals to Glasgow amid housing crisis

(Glasgow) First Minister John Swinney has backed a call from Glasgow City Council to pause the transfer of new asylum seekers to Scotland’s largest city, describing the move as a “fair and reasonable approach” while the city grapples with a deepening homelessness and housing emergency.

Swinney said services are overwhelmed and need time to recover before taking on more arrivals. He stressed his support is for a temporary pause, not a permanent change in policy.

The scale of the crisis

Glasgow declared a formal housing emergency in November 2023. Since then, pressures have increased from both local residents and people granted refugee status following the UK Home Office’s recent mass processing of asylum claims.

Key figures reported to the Scottish Housing Regulator and cited by the council (as of February 2025):
– 6,600 live homeless applications
– 4,100 households in temporary accommodation (up 9% from March 2024)
– 3,503 children living in temporary accommodation (up 13%)

City leaders call the situation a “systemic failure,” saying the number of people needing help exceeds what the council can reasonably provide.

Asylum seekers, refugee status and the pressure point

Glasgow currently hosts the highest proportion of housed asylum seekers in the UK:
– 59 per 10,000 residents
– 3,716 individuals in total

Many asylum seekers are still waiting for decisions, but a growing number have recently been granted refugee status. Once someone receives status:
– They lose asylum support from the Home Office
– Responsibility for housing and integration transfers to local authorities under Scottish law

City officials identify this handover as a major pressure point in the local crisis.

Swinney’s position and rationale

Swinney supports pause measures intended to let Glasgow “catch up” with demand from both existing residents and newly recognized refugees. His arguments include:
– Frontline teams need a window to move families out of hotels and B&Bs into settled housing
– Scotland remains committed to protecting people seeking safety, but support must be workable for local communities and sustainable for councils
– The pause is time-limited and tied to clear steps: moving families into stable tenancies, increasing supply of suitable homes, and giving frontline teams space to process pending cases

He has emphasized that supporting a pause is not the same as turning people away or reducing overall numbers permanently.

Policy responsibilities — devolved and reserved matters

• Immigration and asylum policy: reserved to the UK Government
• Housing and homelessness: devolved to the Scottish Government

Scottish councils have a broader legal duty than their English counterparts: they must provide housing to anyone who is homeless (not just those with “priority need”). This stronger safety net helps prevent rough sleeping but increases the burden on cities like Glasgow when housing supply is tight.

For official guidance on UK-managed asylum support, see the Home Office page on Asylum support.

Financial and service pressures

Glasgow officials report:
– The city is spending millions on hotel and B&B rooms as a last resort
– A £66 million budget shortfall for the council
– Of the 4,100 households in temporary accommodation, 1,570 households are in hotels and B&Bs

Consequences for local services:
– Education, health, and social care teams report rising caseloads
– Schools and GP practices face sudden shifts in local populations
– Community tensions and service pressures have increased

What advocates and regulators say

Advocacy groups and the Scottish Housing Regulator warn that without substantial resources and policy changes, a quick turnaround is unlikely.

Their analysis points to:
– A wider shortage of housing supply
– Overstretched homelessness services
– Faster Home Office decisions moving people from asylum support into mainstream housing pathways at speed

VisaVerge.com analysis supports this view: cities with already tight rental markets struggle most when many new households need housing in a short span.

What a pause would aim to achieve

City leaders say a short pause from the Home Office would allow Glasgow to:
1. Reduce the backlog of homeless cases
2. Clear bottlenecks in temporary accommodation
3. Set up more settled homes for recognized refugees

Potential on-the-ground changes if a pause is agreed:
– Moving households from hotels and B&Bs into settled homes
– Reducing the backlog of homeless applications and casework
– Coordinating with housing associations and private landlords to unlock more properties

Benefits for different groups:
– For people in temporary accommodation: stability — school continuity for children, shorter travel times, better access to services
– For newly recognized refugees: quicker moves into long-term tenancies that support work, language classes, and family reunification
– For host communities: reduced hotel use lowers costs and eases pressure on public services

Financially:
– Hotels and short-term rooms cost far more than permanent homes
– Each week in temporary accommodation increases council costs and reduces funds for prevention work

Important: None of the parties—councils, charities, or the Scottish Government—argue for closing the door to people seeking safety. The aim is to align arrivals with local capacity so support remains humane and effective.

Longer-term needs beyond a pause

A pause would not create new homes. Longer-term measures required include:
– Building more social housing
– Working with housing associations to bring empty homes into use
– Partnering with landlords to expand access to the private rented sector
– Clearer coordination with the UK Government on timing and volume of dispersal
– Better planning and accurate data to enable councils to prepare for arrivals

City officials argue that when councils can plan for arrivals with reliable data, settled outcomes are more likely.

Human impact and broader lessons

• Even modest percentage rises in homeless applications put disproportionate strain on a system already at full stretch.
• For children, longer stays in temporary settings mean frequent school changes, longer travel times, and higher family stress.
• Newly recognized refugees face a cliff edge when asylum support ends if council housing teams cannot find placements quickly.
• Rising rents and evictions in the private sector swell the pool of people seeking help.

The Glasgow case sends a wider message to other UK cities: when national asylum processes speed up and housing supply is constrained, pressure can rise sharply. Planning for transitions matters as much as the initial decision.

Current data snapshot

• 6,600 live homeless applications
• 4,100 households in temporary accommodation
• 3,503 children in temporary accommodation
• 59 asylum seekers per 10,000 residents (highest in the UK)
• £66 million council budget gap
• 1,570 households in hotels and B&Bs

With limited room for error, Glasgow’s leaders say: stability first, then growth. Swinney’s support for a pause is presented as a pragmatic measure to match compassion with capacity so asylum seekers and long-term residents can see a path out of a prolonged housing emergency.