Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support local authorities during the transition to new asylum accommodation contracts.

As activity to tender and procure the new asylum accommodation and support contracts comes to a conclusion, there will be a significant increase in our engagement with partners and stakeholders to plan and execute the transition to the services.

Work to plan for the mobilisation and transition has been underway for some time and is supported by dedicated central and regional teams who will engage on a local basis with all strategic stakeholders including Local Authorities, these plans will include the establishment of regional working groups and formal joint engagement boards to ensure all parties are involved and able to understand and support the appointed providers’ solution.

The new asylum accommodation and support contracts will also be underpinned by collaborative principles that require Providers to develop close working relationships with stakeholders to support the effective coordination of local services delivery and help secure the safety and welfare of service users.