Facts and fiction about housing, refugees and asylum seekers in Somerset

We all have a duty to determine fact from fiction or there is a high price to pay, when this leads to anger and hate in our communities.

Once facts, over fiction, are considered, we are then entitled to have our own opinion.

Maybe the facts won’t change your opinion, but that shouldn’t mean that fiction should be allowed to make people’s anger spill over into a flow of hatred, scapegoating, othering, and worse—creating a kind of anti-politics drive that undermines trust in just about everything.

Fact: People seeking asylum are not eligible to work or claim benefits.

It’s false to suggest that affordable or new Council homes in Somerset aren’t for local people, or that they’re being diverted to refugees or asylum seekers.

• Somerset has relatively few asylum seekers. As of December 2024, only 297 asylum seekers are supported in Somerset, which is just 0.05% of our population of 581,145.

• Across the UK, there are 112,187 supported asylum seekers—about 0.16% of the population.

Who provides accommodation for asylum seekers in Somerset?
The Home Office manages asylum housing nationally, working with private companies. Somerset Council does not pay for this; funding is provided centrally, including for living costs.

Are refugees prioritised for social housing in Somerset?
No. To qualify, applicants must meet residency or local connection requirements under the Housing Act 1996. Those without a local connection usually move out of Somerset to stay with family, friends, or in private rentals.

What about Somerset Council’s new housing developments?
Somerset Council successfully bid twice for the Local Authority Housing Fund—adding 45 homes that will be relet to the wider Somerset community through the Housing Revenue Account.

Recent political debate at Somerset Council focused on the housing crisis. During our last Full Council meeting, the Conservative opposition group raised concerns, concentrating on three key points:

1. That government-funded migration schemes won’t affect local housing availability.
2. That Somerset residents should be prioritised for social and affordable housing.
3. That future schemes should come with extra investment to meet local needs.

They called for “urgent assurances” that future schemes wouldn’t reduce housing for local people.

But the facts show otherwise:

• Somerset Council’s schemes explicitly excludes applicants without a local connection to Somerset.
• Refugee and asylum housing increase our housing stock at no cost to Somerset residents. Once asylum needs are met, the housing reverts to the local authority, adding to our supply—currently, 45 homes.

What is the Conservative agenda here? It seems driven more by politics than facts. This kind of rhetoric divisively undermines community trust.

Perhaps a better focus would be on improving legislation to prevent profiteering from refugee housing?




Notes:
Nationally, all local authorities work with the Home Office to welcome refugees on various schemes. Somerset has so far welcomed refugees via:

Afghan Resettlement Programmes – this includes the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme

• UK Resettlement Scheme
• Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme
• Community Sponsorship

Additionally, Homes for Ukraine launched in February 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.

Refugee – a person who has been granted ‘refugee status’ outside of their country of origin, due to fear of persecution, for reasons such as race, religion, nationality, membership of a certain social or political group.

Refugee status is given to individuals by the UK government when it is recognised that they meet the criteria defined in the Refugee Convention.

Refugees have the same rights as other British Citizens, including the right to work and to claim benefits.

Asylum Seeker or person seeking asylum – A person seeking asylum is an individual who has left their country of origin and formally applied for asylum in another country due to reasons such as fear of persecution. They will have an asylum claim in the UK system; this can take many years to be decided. If an asylum claim has been granted, they are known as refugees.

There is currently no legal route to claim asylum.

People seeking asylum are not eligible to work or claim benefits.

Migrant – A migrant is a generic term to describe anyone who has moved from one country to another country for reasons such as to find work.

Refugee speaks out as councillors clash over housing pressures and immigration