FOI Request - Accommodation for Refugees

Request 101003845208

1.  In each year since 2020-21, including the current year to date, how many refugees and asylum seekers have been accommodated by the council? Please provide all accommodation types e.g. Hotel, B&B, homeless accommodation, council houses, temporary accommodation etc.

2.  In each year since 2020-21, including the current year to date, how much has been spent on accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers? Please provide all accommodation types e.g. Hotel, B&B, homeless accommodation, council houses, temporary accommodation etc.

Response 25-09-2025

1. The figures below are for people who have been granted refugee status and do not include asylum seekers. The UK Home Office (not councils) is responsible for the placement of asylum seekers in Scotland, under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, via a dispersal policy to local authority areas. The Home Office contracts companies like Mears to manage the accommodation and support provided to asylum seekers, which includes hotels and other properties across Scotland.

2020-2021 = 29
2021-2022 = 31
2022-2023 = 159
2023-2024 = 249
2024-2025 = 224

A mixture of social housing, Private Rentals, and Hosted Accommodation.

2. Nil - The council do not pay for the cost of providing accommodation for refugees. Clients who have been granted refugee status are entitled to claim Universal Credit (Housing Costs) to pay for any rental charges. Some Refugees have also now gained employment and are eligible and able to pay their own rent.