Andy Burnham is facing criticism after plans emerged for a scheme in Greater Manchester that will spend more than £700,000 supporting migrants and refugees in accessing housing, welfare and public services.
The programme, run by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), is designed to help people with asylum backgrounds navigate what officials describe as “barriers” to housing, benefits and integration services once they have been granted refugee status.
The initiative forms part of a wider “Safe Transitions” programme, which provides guidance and support to individuals moving out of Home Office accommodation and into local communities after receiving asylum decisions, GB News reported.
According to official documents, refugees are offered “new community guidance” and additional support intended to reduce homelessness and improve access to housing, welfare and employment services.
The GMCA currently supports more than 8,500 people in asylum accommodation across Greater Manchester, including hotels and temporary lodgings.
Under the scheme, refugees are also matched with “resident landlords” through a separate lodging initiative to prevent homelessness during the short transition period after Home Office support ends.
That period is currently 42 days, a timeframe local authorities and charities say leaves many newly recognised refugees at risk of rough sleeping.
The Safe Transitions guidance states that people with asylum backgrounds are disproportionately represented within homelessness and rough sleeping services, citing limited understanding of UK systems and fragmented support as key factors.
The combined value of the new guidance contract and associated housing scheme is estimated at more than £700,000, including around £370,000 for the development of the support framework and a further £350,000 for the lodging scheme.
Greater Manchester is also dealing with wider pressures on homelessness services, with more than 18,000 people estimated to be without a permanent address across the region, according to Shelter. In the city of Manchester alone, around 9,500 people are reported to be homeless, including a significant proportion of children.
Supporters of the programme argue it is intended to reduce long-term costs by preventing homelessness and easing pressure on emergency accommodation services.
The GMCA says evaluations of similar interventions have shown they can generate savings by reducing reliance on crisis support and temporary housing.
However, the plans have drawn political criticism.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, accused Mr Burnham of expanding taxpayer-funded support for migrants at a time of intense pressure on public finances.
He said: “Andy Burnham has previously campaigned for immigrants to get benefits immediately upon arrival. Now we discover he is channelling hundreds of thousands of pounds to help recent immigrants, including illegal immigrants, to help themselves to taxpayer-funded benefits and housing.”
He added that rising taxes were already placing strain on households and argued that the scheme reflected misplaced priorities.
The GMCA rejected such criticisms, insisting the programme is aimed at preventing homelessness and reducing long-term costs to public services.
Officials said the initiative is part of a broader £40 million annual homelessness strategy covering a wide range of vulnerable groups, including veterans, young people, former prisoners and domestic abuse survivors, alongside refugees and asylum seekers.
They added that many participants have only a short period after receiving asylum decisions to secure housing before being required to leave government-provided accommodation, making transitional support essential.
The row is likely to intensify as debates over immigration, asylum accommodation and local authority funding continue to dominate the political agenda, particularly in areas facing high levels of housing pressure.
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