Council challenged on asylum seekers being relocated out of Sheffield
“As a city of sanctuary and as a council that signed up to that, it's disappointing that those views haven't been taken up”
Sheffield Council has been questioned on whether local connections and time spent in Sheffield are taken into account before asylum seekers are relocated out of the city.
A local campaigner for South Yorkshire Migrant Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG) questioned the Sheffield City Council housing committee on October 22 on asylum accommodation.
Nadia Jama asked if the council believes the length of time a person seeking asylum lives in Sheffield, and the local connections they have made, should be taken into account before they are relocated out of the city because of an accommodation change.
This follows concerns from the action group over accommodation being “given on a non-choice basis”.
In March 2025, SYMAAG and City of Sanctuary Sheffield submitted evidence to the Home Affairs Committee about asylum accommodation.
In written evidence to the Home Office, the organisations expressed concern that the policy of dispersing asylum seekers away from places where they have begun to establish connections is "unnecessary, cruel, and both logistically and financially senseless".
The evidence states that in Sheffield: “People are frequently given very limited warning - even less than 24 hours - with no provision made for factors such as existing appointments or children attending school.
"The lack of control and constant fear of being moved, as well as the disruption caused by the transfers themselves, is hugely damaging for the health and well-being of people seeking safety.”
Councillor Douglas Johnson, chair of the housing policy, responded to Ms Jama's question and said people can be in asylum accommodation a long time because of backlogs in the system.
On behalf of the housing committee he agreed the natural building of friendships and reliance on services during this time should be taken into account before the Home Office decides to move asylum seekers to another part of the country.
However, he explained decisions on asylum accommodation and moving people to different cities are made by the Home Office and Mears (its contracted accommodation provider), not the council.
He said the council is not informed about decisions to move people in or out of accommodation in Sheffield.
Ms Jama also asked what representation the council had made to Mears and the Home Office to ensure this is taken into account.
The council's response clarified it had not previously made any representations to Mears or the Home Office about this.
Ms Jama said: “It’s great that you acknowledge that those things should be taken into account.
"As a city of sanctuary and as a council that signed up to that, it's disappointing that those views haven't been taken up.
She asked if the council would commit to doing so, “now that you believe it's the right thing to do”.
Coun Douglas Johnson, chair of the housing policy committee, said he thinks it is a good suggestion.
He said he did not know the Home Office or Mears policies of what should be taken into account, and whether the organisations believe they do that.
He said he would ask officers to look into the policy and what leverage the council has to influence decisions taken by Mears or the Home Office.