Asylum seekers: Blackburn with Darwen concerns over rise in numbers

Blackburn Labour MP Kate Hollern said placings more asylum seekers in the borough was "simply impractical"

A borough's leaders have expressed concerns after it was confirmed that the number of asylum seekers placed there was due to double.

A meeting of Blackburn with Darwen Council was told the number housed in the borough will rise from 370 to 750.

Council leader Phil Riley said asylum seekers were welcome but the placements were "not being done equitably".

The Home Office said asylum seeker numbers had "reached record levels" and "appropriate accommodation" was needed.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said asylum seekers were cared for in the borough by private company Serco and the council as part of a long-standing agreement between the authority and the Home Office.

The Labour-led council leader told a meeting of the council's executive board the placements were "a consequence of the government losing control of the asylum process including the hundreds crossing the English Channel every day".

He said that all local authorities were "being told they had to take in more asylum seekers" and while Blackburn had a "long and honourable record of welcoming asylum seekers", his concern was "that it is not being done equitably".

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His comments came after the board considered a report, which stated the Home Office had recently "re-evaluated the number of asylum seekers each local authority should take".

It stated that the re-evaluation meant the number in the borough would "continue to rise to the 750 figure".

His comments were backed by the council's Conservative group leader John Slater, who said he did not see "any need to increase the numbers except for Ukrainians".

Both Blackburn Labour MP Kate Hollern and Jake Berry, the Conservative member for Rossendale and Darwen, also expressed concerns.

Mrs Hollen said there was a shortage of GPs, dentists, school places and accommodation in the borough, so it was "simply impractical to place an outsized burden on areas and their services".

Mr Berry added that at a time when public services were under increased pressure, he did not think it was right "to put even more pressure on them by doubling the number of asylum seekers".

The Home Office said the number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation had "reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain".

"We are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation," a representative said.

Serco said the locations for asylum seekers was a matter for the government.