Extra support planned for asylum seekers

The use of hotels to house asylum seekers has attracted protests and counter-protests

Asylum seekers living in Bristol are set to receive extra help from a council.

The support - planned for roughly 850 of the city's 1,133 asylum seekers - would include English lessons, free sim cards, guidance on GP appointments, employment workshops and housing advice, Bristol City Council said.

The chair of the local authority's children's committee said more than half of asylum seekers in the city are children, with the majority living in three hotels funded by the UK Home Office.

"So it's a very small number of highly vulnerable and highly traumatised people, who we have not only a moral duty, but also legal duties towards," Christine Townsend added.

Anti-immigration campaigners have criticised the housing of asylum seekers in hotels, saying it is too expensive.

One aspect of the council's planned sanctuary strategy includes hosting workshops in the community to address concerns, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Some have already taken place following unrest in August last year, when protests turned into violent disorder at a number of hotels across England.

'Exciting place'

Councillor Andrew Varney said "one of the best things about living in Bristol" was its diversity.

"We've got 297 different ethnic groups from 185 different countries. 20% of our population was born overseas.

"I think all of that enriches all of us, it makes Bristol such an exciting place in which to live, and we learn from one another.

"We do have difficult times at the moment and I hope that this consultation won't get hijacked by certain sectors of society," he said.

The council will be launching a public consultation for the draft sanctuary strategy on Monday, lasting fox six weeks.