Issue - meetings

The Committee heard from the Homes and Health Team Manager, who explained that the purpose of the report was to consider the allocation of asylum dispersal funding currently held by the Council, totalling over £185,000. Committee Members were provided with an overview of the funding’s purpose, and the current asylum position in West Lindsey. It was explained that the funding had initially been described as un-ringfenced, with the intention that it be used to mitigate new burdens on frontline Council services, particularly homelessness and housing. For this reason, the reserve had been held within the relevant service area.

Members of the Committee were informed that a modest increase had been observed in the number of individuals presenting as homeless following receipt of their asylum decisions. Consequently, it was proposed that the majority of the funding be allocated to homelessness support, in order to safeguard frontline services and prevent overstretching of existing budgets. Attention was also drawn to the lack of structured support for community integration of asylum seekers and refugees, which had thus far been addressed informally by voluntary and community sector (VCS) groups. The Manager proposed that a portion of the funding be made available through the Council’s community grants mechanism, enabling collaboration with the VCS to deliver support services that promote community cohesion and assist individuals transitioning from asylum accommodation.

It was noted that the Prosperous Communities Committee had already approved the use of the community grant funding process for the distribution of this funding at its meeting held on 15 July 2025. Therefore, the paper presented to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee sought formal approval for the allocation of £125,295 from the asylum dispersal reserve to homelessness functions, as detailed in the report, and for the remaining £60,000 to be used for community activities supporting asylum seekers and refugees within the district.

The Chairman thanked the Manager for the introduction and invited questions and comments from the Committee.

A Committee Member enquired about the management of language barriers for asylum seekers approaching the Council for housing. In response, it was confirmed by the Manager that the Council currently utilised LanguageLine services and was exploring additional software solutions to improve communication. It was acknowledged that while asylum seekers represented a small proportion of those requiring language support, improvements could be made to better serve all customers.

Concerns were expressed by a Member of the Committee regarding the broader issue of English language provision in the district. It was noted that the Gainsborough Multicultural Group had identified a significant gap in structured ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) services. Existing provision was described as informal and insufficient to meet demand. In response, the Manager confirmed that discussions had taken place with the multicultural group regarding the potential use of funding for ESOL provision. It was acknowledged that this area had not previously been considered from a skills perspective, but it was agreed that further exploration with skills providers could be undertaken if deemed a priority by the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22

The Committee gave consideration to a report presented by the Homes & Health Team Manager which provided Members with an update on the Asylum position in West Lindsey and sought approval for the spend of the Asylum Dispersal Grant funding. It was explained that the Home Office introduced a new system for Asylum Dispersal implemented in 2023 which saw the interim housing of asylum seekers across England and Wales dispersed across the Country as appose to certain areas taking all the burden. When this new system was implemented, alongside these new arrangements, funding was provided to Local Authorities to ensure front line services were not impacted and Local Authorities could implement new services where required to assist with wellbeing, mental health and community cohesion.

The Home Office had partnered with different agencies across the country to deliver the dispersed accommodation, with Serco being the provider in the East Midlands. In West Lindsey, there were 41 bedspaces procured by Serco for Asylum seeker accommodation. Funding was provided to Local Authorities for every bedspace that is procured and brought online in the area, and West Lindey had received £185,350 of funding for this to date. The funding had a set of criteria for spend on asylum and refugee related activities based on the outcomes as detailed in the Asylum Dispersal Grant funding criteria.

Members heard that the paper set out how the funding was proposed to be utilised through spending on front line services and offering grants to community organisations who were delivering services which met the funding criteria. It was highlighted that the paper would also proceed to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for approval of the allocation of funds.

Members thanked the Officer for her presentation and context around the report. Following an enquiry regarding the housing of families from Afghanistan, it was explained that there were multiple resettlement schemes and those families were placed under a different scheme which was separate to that being presented at this time.

In response to a question regarding tenants being evicted under a Section 21, and whether those evictions were relevant to the asylum dispersal scheme, it was explained that whilst the information was not available immediately, Officers would undertake to liaise with the relevant team and share the response with members of both policy committees ahead of the paper being presented to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

A Member of the Committee shared her attendance at an event where there had also been in attendance a team from Lincoln who worked with asylum seekers, and it was enquired as to whether West Lindsey District Council worked with other areas in regards to providing support services and suchlike, It was explained that best practice was to link in with other areas and other services, and the Member was invited to share the details of the Lincoln team in order for Officers to work together where possible.

Members acknowledged there as a broad spectrum for the funding and enquired whether there was a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13