Simon Danczuk: Letter from Parliament

Simon Danczuk MP

Asylum seeker figures can be a sensitive topic for MPs to discuss, but in the case of Rochdale, the numbers speak for themselves.

Our town is currently housing 957 asylum seekers, more than any other borough in Greater Manchester and more than the whole of the South East of England put together.

Rochdale is ranked fifth overall in the UK with only the major cities of Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham and Cardiff supporting more asylum seekers.

With government cuts putting pressure on our already strained public services, it is not realistic or reasonable to expect a town the size of Rochdale to continue to house such a high proportion of asylum seekers.

I first raised the issue during Prime Minister's Questions in March this year but it seems my protests have fallen on deaf ears.

Since then, more asylum seekers have been settled in Rochdale while other towns and cities are not doing their fair share.

This disparity is a national scandal and I am determined to tackle the government’s record on this issue when Parliament reopens on Monday.

I have written to Immigration Minister James Brokenshire asking for an urgent review of the way asylum seekers are housed across the UK.

I also plan to raise the issue with ministers in Parliament.

As conflicts in the Middle East and Africa bring more refugees to the safety of British shores, it cannot be left to Rochdale to shoulder the burden.

I will continue to pressure the Government to do more to ensure these vulnerable people are more evenly distributed throughout the whole country.