The Home Office has recently proposed changing the use of the 247-bedroom Mary Morris House in Headingley, from student accommodation to housing asylum seekers.
A new, independent body was introduced earlier this year to assist the Government with decision-making regarding asylum-seekers and help to reduce the “backlog” of appeals. The decision to convert the Mary Morris building is part of a wider, national attempt to relieve pressure on hotels across the UK and “fix the broken asylum system,” says the Home Office.
“The submission – which has been published on Leeds’s public access planning system – is currently being considered by council officers, with a decision expected at some point in October.” The statement said.
However, this proposal has highlighted tension within the community, as locals have launched a petition opposing plans in demand of a release of a “risk assessment” and a “proper planning assessment”. The petition also raised concerns regarding the implications this decision may have on local services and the surrounding community.
One petitioner, Elizabeth from Leeds, wrote under the petition: “I think it’s the wrong area…we have enough traffic.”
Another commented regarding potential “protests” and “unrest”, claiming that it will be “inevitable as this is such a politically divided issue”.
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council stated that some strain may be “anticipated”; however, “local Councillors and local groups are broadly in support” of this decision and will put measures in place to facilitate integration.
Councillor Barry Anderson stated that he understands that “people feel that the Council should insist a full planning application to be submitted to allow for a proper debate”; however, he assured that the Council “knows what is best” for the community.
Organisations and charities such as PAFRAs and LASSN are continuing to support asylum seekers and refugees who are moving to Leeds and the surrounding area. They offer digital resources and English language classes to ease the transition into the community. Solace is a Leeds-based charity which operates independently to the NHS, and offers complementary referrals and therapies for those who have experienced trauma and survivors of exile.
The Leeds Refugee Forum is another local organisation that supports individuals starting their new life in Leeds. It primarily focuses on integrating refugees and asylum seekers into the community through practical support such as providing education, social activities, employment advice, and one-to-one sessions.
Khair Yacob, a support worker and member of the Leeds Refugee Forum, stated: “As a community in Leeds we should extend the welcome through integration events and the youth from the student residential, and external parties could extend the ‘good Yorkshire welcome’ so we can strike the difference between us and other parts of the UK who are demonising these communities.”
