Following an emergency meeting last night with Damian Green, the Immigration Minister, the MPs – Ann McKechin, Gemma Doyle, John Robertson, Margaret Curran, Anas Sarwar, Willie Bain and Ian Davidson – were assured that around 1300 families and single people faced with eviction at short notice would be allowed to stay in their homes after all.
The row erupted after the UK Border Agency announced two weeks ago that it was ending its contract with the city council to house asylum-seekers, leaving hundreds of families needing new homes. Letters from the agency alarmed them as they stated that they must be ready to leave their homes and be relocated at any time with just two to five days’ notice.
More than 120 asylum-seekers staged a demonstration against the move. Their case was subsequently taken up by the MPs.
Mr Davidson, who represents Glasgow South West, explained that Mr Green now hoped to arrange tenancy transfers from the council, which should mean the asylum-seekers can stay in their homes.
“There is relief that people will no longer be under threat of being thrown out of their homes at such short notice,” he told The Herald. The backbencher said that, under the new policy, efforts would be made to keep people in their homes and give them far more notice if they had to move. “This will be a much more humane approach,” he added.
On Monday, members of the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, which Mr Davidson chairs, will meet representatives of Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Refugee Council and the UK Border Agency to discuss details of the issues involved.
