THE number of asylum seekers still being supported by Cumberland Council has been revealed, as homelessness and refugee charities urge the central government to double the time asylum seekers have to find a place to live before they’re kicked out of hotels.

Following a shocking 1,000 per cent surge in rough sleeping among those leaving Home Office accommodations since July 2023, 16 leading charities, including St Mungo’s, Shelter, and the Refugee Council, have penned a joint letter to Home Secretary James Cleverly.

They advocate for an extension from 28 to at least 56 days for refugees to find permanent homes, alongside a fully funded transition process.

During a recent roundtable discussion, concerns were raised about the emergence of makeshift refugee camps near Home Office-cleared hotels.

Anticipation of negative decisions in the coming months heightened worries of increased rough sleeping due to limited access to work or state assistance.

The council said there are currently around 150 asylum seekers accommodated in the Cumberland Council area.

“Asylum dispersal is mandatory for all councils in the UK,” a spokesperson said, adding that Serco, a government services business, is responsible for ‘procuring properties for the purpose of accommodating asylum seekers’.

“The people seeking asylum in Cumberland are both young men and family units.

“They do not get a choice on where they live.

“They are placed here by Serco, who is the landlord of the property,” the council spokesperson explained.

They added that the council doesn’t provide direct casework to asylum seekers, support is instead provided via Serco and Migrant Help, the primary source of support.

Further support is provided through the third sector, mainly offering legal information and support, help with clothing supplies as people can only arrive in the clothes they have on that day, and English lessons.

While the council has limited involvement in the dispersal of asylum seekers, it said one person is employed via central government funding which has ‘oversight of asylum in Cumberland’.

This person provides ‘advice and guidance relating to asylum including addressing problems and developments that may arise’ and ‘works across agencies, providing a coordinated response’.

While the council no longer has any asylum contingency hotels, after they closed in Christmas 2023, ‘very few people living in these hotels were dispersed in Cumberland’, the council concluded.

A central government spokesperson said: “We are working with local authorities to manage the impact as we reduce the number of asylum seekers awaiting a decision.”