Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to involve local authorities in existing dispersal areas in the process of finalising the new asylum accommodation contracts with providers.

The transition of the contracts is not a point at which we intend to revisit or revise the contractual arrangements with new accommodation providers.

Regional Transition Leads are working in partnership with local authorities via the Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) to ensure appropriate liaison and engagement leading up to contract award. This proactive engagement will result in local authorities shaping the narrative around placements of asylum seekers in their communities but also form the beginnings of Joint Partnership Boards which will monitor and manage the transition to the new contracts.