Social law firm to support asylum seekers threatened with eviction

Action to evict 300 asylum seekers from Home Office-provided property in Glasgow could be unlawful.

Mike Dailly of the Govan Law Centre said he was working with asylum seekers threatened with eviction to raise legal proceedings against Serco, which manages their accommodation.

Serco announced its intention to evict asylum seekers and their families by giving a brief period of written notice after their claims for asylum were rejected.

Dailly said the action “appears to be unlawful,” as eviction without a court order is illegal in Scotland.

He added: “These are very vulnerable families living in our city and they deserve full legal protection to ensure that dues process is being followed. We have a number of our senior lawyers looking at this right now.

“We are convinced that Serco is proposing to act unlawfully. And we will be taking cases before the Scottish courts. This is a complex area of law and its very unlikely vulnerable people can just be summarily evicted in the way Serco propose.”

It comes as hundreds joined a protest against the plans in Glasgow city centre on Tuesday evening. Placards with “Scotland welcomes refugees” and “Serco putting profits before lives” were raised aloft as chants rang out.

A task force has also been set-up by Glasgow City Council to help the asylum seekers should they be evicted

Susan Aitken, council leader, wrote to the home secretary Sajid Javid for the second time on Tuesday asking him to intervene, after Serco, working on behalf of the Home Office, notified the first six of those affected that their locks would be changed within seven days.

Aitken has made it known that Glasgow has one of the biggest refugee populations in the UK but receives no UK government support.

The council is now working on a strategy to help those should they be evicted as fears mount support services and charities won’t be able to cope with the sudden influx.