London councils expect influx of 40,000 refugees after test case

London councils could be forced to house 40,000 extra refugees after a landmark appeal ruling by the House of Lords.

The ruling, handed down on 5 February, means asylum seekers who are dispersed to Scotland and the North will have the right to present themselves as homeless in any British borough when they are granted leave to remain in the UK.

London councils fear the test case could lead to thousands of refugees who have been dispersed across the country presenting themselves as homeless in the capital.

London is considered by many minority groups to be a desirable place to live because of its many community groups and facilities.

There are already 350,000-420,000 asylum seekers and refugees there, according to the Greater London Authority.

Lord Hope of Craighead, one of the four law lords who heard the case, admitted that his ruling could have grave financial implications for London councils.

Harrow is one of the boroughs involved in the case, which revoled around refugees previously living in Glasgow who wanted to move to the capital (see "Case of the week", page 10). Andy Gale, housing needs manager at Harrow council, said: "The intention of dispersal was to relieve the pressure on London and the South-east but that seems to have been long forgotten. Is the government just paying lip service to the whole question of refugee integration?"

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the other London borough involved in the case, estimates that up to 40,000 former asylum seekers could apply for homes in London as a result of the decision.

Its legal team submitted this figure to the court of appeal, based on the number of asylum applications in 2002/3.

The ruling came as the GLA published a report claiming that section 55 of the 2002 Immigration & Asylum Act, which denies support to asylum seekers who do not make their application "as soon as possible", has left up to 10,000 people sleeping rough in London.

A Home Office spokesman said the report did not back up this claim with hard evidence.

A further report, by Amnesty International, has criticised the asylum decision-making process, claiming it is often based on out-of-date and inaccurate information.

Councils must act to stop migrant workers living in appalling conditions such as those brought to light when 19 cockle pickers died at Morecambe Bay last week, an MP has said. Geraldine Smith, MP for Morecambe and Lunsdale, said: "We need greater inspection by councils and more enforcement officers."