Home Office figures show rising number of asylum seekers in Peterborough waiting for permission to remain in UK

The number of asylum seekers in Peterborough receiving financial support and accommodation has risen over the last year, according to new figures.

The Home Office says that at the end of September there were 261 people in the city waiting for a decision on their asylum applications.

It is an increase of 63 people on the 198 claimants for the 12 months to the end of September 2021.

While waiting for the outcome of their application, asylum seekers are unable to work but can be entitled to financial assistance and accommodation through a 'Section 95' support.

The figures have sparked concern that the Government will fail to keep its pledge to clear the growing backlog of asylum applications by the end of next year as the number of asylum seekers grows at a rapid rate.

The new statistics were compiled before the Home Office moved about 180 asylum seekers into two Peterborough hotels – the Great Northern Hotel, in Station Approach, and the The Verve, in Boongate - in November to help ease pressure at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent.

The use of the 170-year-old Great Northern Hotel as a refuge for asylum seekers has been criticised by Peterborough MP Paul Bristow and Peterborough City Council who say it is an inappropriate venue.

But the Home Office says that it is because of the record number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation that is putting the UK’s asylum system under incredible strain.

It adds: “The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable.

"The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.”

But the Home Offices figures show the huge challenge facing the Government.

In the East of England, 1,909 people were receiving Section 95 support at the end of September, up from 1,268 in September 2021 while 1,176 asylum seekers have been resettled across the region through various schemes since 2014.

And across the UK, 101,000 people were receiving some form of asylum support at the end of September, up 46 per cent from the same time last year.

This included 58,000 people receiving Section 95 support, up from 46,000 the year before.

Recent refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan receive different forms of support and are therefore not included in these figures.

Last year also saw a significant rise people in the number of people on 'Section 98' support across the UK, which is given to those who appear destitute and are waiting to see if they are eligible for Section 95.

More than 37,000 people were being provided with such support at the end of September, dwarfing the nearly 17,000 at the same point last year.

The Government has vowed to clear the 92,000 asylum claims made before June and says it is hiring more caseworkers and overhauling the processing system.

But Tamsin Baxter, executive director at the Refugee Council, said: "As the number of people waiting for a decision grows, so does the number of people left in limbo, unable to work and dependent on the Home Office for accommodation and financial support."