Asylum seekers and refugees in Plymouth, the facts

Britain has a proud tradition of accepting people from all around the world many of whom have fled persecution in their home country. The UK’s history and success would be very different without the enterprise and skills of those who have come to settle here. Refugees possess a wealth of knowledge and talent that can contribute socially, economically and culturally to shaping communities.

Plymouth has always provided jobs and homes to a diverse community. Our vision builds on this, embracing Plymouth as a multi-cultural city where significant social exclusion no longer exists. This is a key part of meeting the challenge to become one of Europe’s most vibrant waterfront cities where an outstanding quality of life is enjoyed by everyone.

Plymouth City Council recognises the valuable contribution refugees make to our city and wider society and the responsibility on all of us to provide a welcoming and supportive environment. Our city has benefited from migration from abroad. Some communities that originally came to the Plymouth as refugees and migrant workers are now settled here making a valued contribution to the city’s economic, cultural and political life.

The Social Inclusion Team co-ordinate the Council’s work concerning asylum seekers and refugees. We also support refugee advice groups in the city. In consultation with our voluntary and statutory partners we are currently undertaking a review of services for refugees and asylum seekers and developing a strategy that will accurately reflect the needs of this client group.

Awareness raising is an important part of the team’s work. In particular, dispelling some of the myths  about asylum seekers and refugees and instead highlighting the facts. For example did you know.....

Asylum seekers are not swamping Britain, in fact…..

In 2002 the number of asylum applications in the UK was 84,130. As a proportion of our population we received 1.8 applicants per 1,000 residents. By the end of 2003 the number of applications had fallen to 49,405. At the end of last year the number had fallen again to 33,930, a fall of 31% over the previous year.

Two thirds of the world’s refugees are living in developing countries, 60% reside in Africa and Asia. The UK is home to less than 2%.

Asylum seekers do not come here for an easier life, in fact…..

Genuine asylum seekers come to Britain because they are fleeing persecution in their own country. In many cases they feel quite isolated as they are separated from their family and friends and, in many cases, speak little or no English. Asylum seekers are not permitted to work and are not eligible for state benefits.

Asylum seekers are not given mobile phones and computers, in fact…..

Asylum seekers can only apply for support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS).

They receive a weekly payment for basic essentials. The amount they receive is 30% less than the Income Support Rate.

The Council Tax does not pay for asylum seekers living in Plymouth, in fact…..

Private companies contracted to NASS provide accommodation for asylum seekers in the city.

Any support costs incurred by Plymouth City Council, like those to Social Services, are financed by grant from the Home Office.

The Council does not spend lots of money on asylum seekers, in fact…..

The Council provides education services for the children of asylum seekers, provides grants to support groups and employs an officer to co-ordinate this work. The cost to the council tax payer this year, is 0.03% of the total budget of the Council.

Asylum seekers are not jumping the housing queue, in fact…..

They are not eligible for social housing nor are they permitted to apply for housing benefit.

Asylum seekers do not take all our jobs, in fact…..

When a person makes an application for asylum in the UK, they are issued with documentation by the Immigration Service prohibiting them from entering into any employment.

There is a difference between being an asylum seeker and being a refugee.....

An asylum seeker is.....

someone who has arrived in this country and is waiting to have his or her application assessed and determined. They have applied to the Home Office to stay here because they fear persecution in their country of origin. A refugee is someone who has been accepted as having a genuine threat of persecution.

A refugee is.....

defined (under the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the status of refugees) as “a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” If a person meets these criteria, and their asylum claim has been accepted by the Home Office, they are granted refugee status. This gives them the right to remain in the United Kingdom indefinitely.

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