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Dispersal of asylum
seekers to six areas of England has been suspended
amid fears of rising tensions.
The Home Office said the police forces involved had
asked for no more asylum dispersals to parts of
their areas over the past three years.
One council told the BBC it wanted the suspension
because of the impact of asylum arrivals on
community relations. There are about 45,000 asylum
seekers in dispersal housing around the UK, paid for
by central government.
Under the policy, asylum seekers are moved out of
south-east England to take pressure off a small
number of local authorities.
In an answer to the House of Lords, Home Office
minister Baroness Scotland said the policy was fully
or partially suspended in seven areas as of 21
October: Doncaster, Nottingham, Derby, Burnley,
Nelson, Bootle and Manchester. Doncaster has since
lifted its suspension.
Although not on the list, Swansea Police requested a
suspension after Iraqi Kurd Kalan Kawa Karim died in
an alleged attack in September. A man has since been
charged with murder.
Suspensions to parts of north-west England have been
in place for up to three years.
A spokesman for Manchester City Council said the
authority had first asked the Home Office to suspend
dispersals two years ago after the authority and
others became concerned about local "pressures"
caused by the dispersal programme.
"The suspension was because of the impact that the
influx of asylum seekers [placed by the Home Office]
was having on local communities," said the
spokesman.
"It was not peculiar to Manchester alone, there were
a number of other authorities which expressed
concerns."
Doncaster clash
Doncaster's partial suspension came after some 60
local people and asylum seekers allegedly clashed in
Hexthorpe in September.
One man was allegedly stabbed and another assaulted
in the "serious disorder", said a spokesman for
South Yorkshire Police. Seven people have since been
arrested - and the force has lifted the dispersal
suspension after renewed efforts to reduce tensions.
The suspensions were revealed as the Home Office
continues to seek councils to take refugees formally
brought to the UK under a pioneering UN scheme. Just
two councils have so far signed up to the project,
Sheffield and Bolton.
However, the asylum dispersal system itself may be
wound up if the government controversial
accommodation centres are a success.
A spokesman for the Home Office stressed dispersal
suspensions were part of ensuring good community
relations.
"The Home Office continues to work closely [with
dispersal areas] to promote community cohesion. If
any concerns are raised at any point we do review
the situation.
"With the number of those claiming asylum dropping,
the numbers being dispersed are also falling."
But Dr Christopher McDowell, director of the
Information Centre about Refugees and Asylum
Seekers, an academic body which has studied problems
with integration, said local tensions could be
defused where communities were properly informed.
"Dispersal is a sensible policy and can be managed
as long as local populations are prepared for an
influx of newcomers," he said.
"There are examples up and down the country where
there has been information provided to local
populations to address concerns about young men
arriving from overseas.
"It's extremely difficult for councils and other
bodies to overcome negative stereotypes. But it
needs to be about ensuring that information and all
the necessary resources are available so that people
are not seen as a drain."
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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