Birmingham Local Conservatives, alongside Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council Conservatives, have intensified their demand for Birmingham City Council to take decisive action against further asylum accommodation placements in the city. Following their previous calls, the groups have now written to Birmingham City Council Leader, Cllr John Cotton, urging the Labour-run Council to seek a High Court injunction to prevent the Home Office from placing additional asylum seekers in hotels or dispersed accommodation, such as HMOs, in Birmingham.
This joint letter, signed by Cllr Robert Alden (Leader, Birmingham Local Conservatives), Cllr Bruce Lines (Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness), and Cllr Simon Ward (Leader, Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council), highlights the scale of the crisis facing Birmingham: 23,000 residents on the social housing waiting list, 4,500 households with children in temporary accommodation, and overstretched public services across housing, healthcare, and policing.
The groups argue that further asylum placements would only worsen existing pressures, undermine the Council’s ability to meet its statutory duties, and risk heightened community tensions.
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition & Birmingham Local Conservatives, said:
Local families are crying out for homes and support, yet the Government’s approach to asylum accommodation is compounding the crisis. Birmingham already has one of the largest housing waiting lists in the country, and our frontline services are buckling due to Labour's cuts and bankruptcy. Instead of piling more pressure on our city, the Council should be standing up for residents and using the courts if necessary to ensure Birmingham’s limited resources go first to meeting the needs of Brummies.
Cllr Bruce Lines (Con, Bartley Green), Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing & Homelessness, added:
Our duty must be to Brummies first. With thousands of families on waiting lists and vital services already under huge strain, it is unacceptable to keep diverting scarce housing and resources away from local residents. The Council has a responsibility to ensure Birmingham’s communities are supported and safe, and that means saying no to more asylum placements and taking legal action if the Home Office will not stop.
Cllr Simon Ward (Con, Four Oaks) , Leader of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, said:
This is about fairness for residents and sustainability for services. Birmingham and Royal Sutton Coldfield are already under significant strain with housing and public services stretched thanks to the decisions of Labour at Birmingham City Council. It is simply not right for the Home Office to continue placing additional pressures on our communities. The Council must now act in the courts to put local residents first.
In reference to the Ramada Hotel in Sutton Walmley, Cllr Ken Wood (Con, Sutton Walmley & Minworth), said:
I am completely in agreement with our MP Andrew Mitchell in that Ramada should never have been deemed a suitable residence in the first place. It's a remote location, and those staying there would be much better served closer to the support they require. We also need reassurance that if it were to close, that it would not result in increased pressure on the housing shortage we currently have across the City, nor lead to an increase in HMOs and Supported Housing.
By pursuing a High Court injunction, Birmingham City Council could:
· Halt all asylum accommodation placements, including hotels and HMOs.
· Protect family neighbourhoods from further strain.
· Prioritise the needs of Birmingham residents and safeguard overstretched public services.
