Moving on from asylum accommodation: The impact and learning from councils on the asylum backlog clearance

In May 2024, the Local Government Association (LGA) worked with the local government associations across the UK and Strategic Migration Partnerships to conduct an online survey of councils in England, Scotland and Wales regarding the impact/s arising from the asylum backlog. 

The survey gathered the views of how authorities have experienced impacts from the cessation of support for asylum seekers. The survey also looked to identify which potential initiatives respondents thought could help on reducing costs and impacts to councils and also help to build a more effective move on process in the long term. 

A total of 92 responses were received from individual local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales resulting in a final response rate of 25 per cent.

Impacts: 

• Nine-tenths of respondents (90 per cent) said the cessation of support for asylum seekers that have received a positive or negative asylum decision between 1st August 2023 – 31st March 2024 had led to additional pressures on council staff and wider services.
• Nearly nine-tenths of respondents (89 per cent) said the cessation of support for asylum seekers had led to a rise in homelessness presentations to their local authority.
• Around three-fifths of respondents (61 per cent) said it had led to increased street homelessness whilst 55 per cent said it had led to increased destitution. 

Reducing costs and impacts: 

• An ‘extension to the 28-day move-on timeframe to 56 days in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act’ was identified as the initiative most likely to 2 reduce costs and impacts to respondent councils as part of the Home Office backlog clearance programme. 
• 'Funding for councils to provide immediate move-on support after people have received a decision on their claim’ was identified as the second most likely initiative to reduce costs and impacts. 
• ‘Funding for move on accommodation (first months’ rent, deposits, furniture) and ‘funding for councils to provide early intervention and support whilst people are waiting for a decision on their claim’ were identified as the third and fourth most likely initiatives to reduce costs and impacts. 

More effective move-on process: 

• The initiative identified as most likely to build a more effective move on process in the longer term if it was put in place nationally and locally was an ‘extension to the 28-day move-on timeframe to 56 days in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act. 
• ‘Funding for councils to provide immediate move-on support after people have received a decision on their claim’ was identified as the second most likely initiative to build a more effective move-on process.
• ‘Funding for move on accommodation (first months’ rent, deposits, furniture) and ‘funding for councils to provide early intervention and support whilst people are waiting for a decision on their claim’ were seen as the third and fourth most likely initiatives respectively.