Birmingham City Council calls for government support to help migrants

Birmingham City Council said its homeless support services would come under "enormous strain"

More government support is needed to rehouse migrants in Birmingham over Christmas, the city council has said.

The authority claimed the Home Office's drive to reduce the backlog of asylum requests will lead to unprecedented pressure on its services.

An estimated 1,000 asylum seekers will have left Home Office accommodation in the city between August and December.

The government said it would work with local councils to help manage the impact of this.

Councillor Jayne Francis, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said the authority would continue to do all it can to welcome refugees fleeing horror and persecution.

"But these numbers are unprecedented - equivalent to the number we typically see over three or more years," she said.

'Urgent funding'

Ms Francis said this would put the city's homeless and housing support services under "enormous strain".

The city council has written to the government and called for the following:

• Urgent funding to put in place additional support.

• Ensuring refugees have 28 days' notice before leaving Home Office accommodation.

• More information on the number of cases expected to help plan the support required.

It comes as the government seeks to increase the rate of decisions on asylum requests to deal with the backlog.

According to recent figures, the number of people waiting for a decision on asylum claims has stood at just under 140,000 since the start of the year.

A government spokesperson said it was committed to "ensuring asylum claims are considered without unnecessary delays".

"We are working with local authorities to help communities manage the impact of asylum decisions as the legacy backlog reduces," they said.