Black Country councils halt legal action against Home Office over asylum seekers

Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Council, Sandwell MBC, Walsall MBC, Wolverhampton Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council issued a joint statement concerning the Home Office's new Full Dispersal Policy.

The councils suspended their partnership with the Home Office in 2021 and then decided to take legal action for a fairer system as they were not getting the support promised by Whitehall.

However, in a joint statement on Tuesday the authorities announced they welcomed the new asylum seeker system.

The statement said: "In April 2022 – just weeks before the scheduled High Court hearing – the Home Office announced a new Full Dispersal Policy for asylum seekers which addressed each of the key points of our legal action.

"This makes clear the Home Office has adopted a new policy of procuring accommodation for dispersed asylum seekers in the areas of all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales whether or not they have volunteered."

The statement added: "We welcome news of the new policy which will see all regions in England, Scotland and Wales taking a fairer distribution of asylum seekers, as well as a commitment to providing additional funding to local authorities for these purposes and using more suitable accommodation, resulting in a reduction of pressures on local authorities.

"We will be watching closely to ensure that the Home Office fully honours the commitment they have given, and that the new system ensures that asylum seekers are not stigmatised but receive the support and help they need."

Confirming an end to the legal action, the council statement added: "As a result of the new policy, the ongoing legal action has been withdrawn as the Home Office appears to have met our requests.

"We now look forward to closely monitoring the implementation of the new policy to ensure a fairer distribution of asylum seekers and system of funding, while continuing our proud and long running commitment to welcoming those seeking asylum to our towns, cities and boroughs."