More councils to accept asylum seekers

Three more Scottish councils are to accept refugees and asylum
seekers, according to a statement by Malcolm Chisholm, deputy
minister for community care.

Following a meeting with the Asylum Seeker’s Consortium,
he made the announcement but refused to identify them at this
stage. They are believed to be Fife, West Dunbartonshire and East
Renfrewshire. At present, only Glasgow Council accepts refugees and
asylum seekers.

The consortium is made up of representatives from local
authorities, the Scottish executive and home office.

Chisholm urged more local authorities to participate in the
dispersal system and pledged: “We are determined to work together
to make sure we don’t have any more scenes of the sort we
have witnessed in some parts of Glasgow over the past few
days.”

His announcement came on the same day that Glasgow Council
announced it is to appoint a high profile mediator to improve
relations between refugees, local residents and council
departments. Following the second serious assault on an asylum
seeker in the city in three days, further demonstrations occurred
and sporadic violence broke out.