Effective responses to the asylum hotels crisis are hampered by a combination of short-term political considerations and strategic financial commitments. In the context of a broader housing crisis, the government doesn’t want to be seen to ‘give’ anything to asylum seekers, and its fiscal rules severely restrict any potentially available spending power it might have to take drastic steps to address the issue.
Cost savings driven by capital investment in the procurement of asylum accommodation, along with the building of new social housing, could not only drive vast improvements in the suitability of asylum accommodation but also act as an answer to the wider housing crisis, reducing community tensions.
In this policy briefing, Charlie Winstanley, author of Bricking It, an assessment of the UK’s housing crisis and policy landscape, draws on his experience as a former political adviser and specialist in public and social policy, with a background in Combined Authority devolution and asylum policy.
Download the PDF here.
Bricking It by Charlie Winstanley is available on the Policy Press website. Order here for £27.99.
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