Labour's crackdown on asylum hotel stays could be "disastrous", a Scotland city council leader has warned.
As of this month, the Home Office has halved the length of time migrants can stay in accommodations provided for by the Government, such as hotels, from 56 days to 28.
The reduction in the "move-on" period could see Glasgow in particular faced with increased pressures, being one of the key cities housing asylum seekers.
Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, has warned of the potentially "disastrous" consequences.
According to the Daily Mail, she said: "This is a decision that reeks of panic and pandering.
"It's hard to see it being anything other than disastrous for refugees and for the communities trying to support them when the Home Office washes its hands."
The Home Office move has also sparked concerns from charities over the potential increase in homelessness from asylum seekers leaving hotels.
Alex Fraser, from the British Red Cross, said: "Reducing the 'move-on' period will increase levels of homelessness and destitution for people granted protection and put additional pressure on local authorities."
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Susan Aitken has warned of the potentially 'disastrous' consequences on Labour's asylum hotel stay crackdown
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According to figures from the Home Office, Glasgow council was accommodating the highest number of asylum seekers as of the end of June at 3,844, followed by Birmingham (2,755), Hillingdon (2,481), Liverpool (2,361) and Manchester (1,997).
The Scottish Conservatives this week lodged a motion calling for the use of migrant hotels to be brought to an end "as soon as possible".
Raising the issue in Holyrood, Tory local government spokesperson Craig Hoy said the number of asylum seekers being put up in hotels and bed and breakfasts north of the border had risen from 188 in August 2020 to more than 1,500.
Mr Hoy insisted that while Britain “should be a place to live, to work, to flourish, to put down roots” he added it should not be “a hotel for those who have entered the country illegally”.
A series of protests have recently been held outside an asylum hotel in the Scottish town of Falkirk
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He went on to argue the SNP’s (Scottish National Party) “open door” approach on immigration was forcing councils “to prioritise the needs of those from elsewhere when Scots struggle to get a roof over their head”.
Mr Hoy added that the financial “burden” on councils of housing immigrants “cannot be overstated”.
First minister John Swinney however said the debate was “one of the most despicable and opportunistic moments I’ve ever witnessed in my 26 years in the Scottish Parliament”.
It followed a series of protests outside a hotel in the Scottish town of Falkirk used to house asylum seekers.
First minister John Swinney labelled protests such as ones held in Falkirk 'completely unacceptable'
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Mr Swinney earlier said demonstrations, such as the ones held in Falkirk, are “completely unacceptable”.
Speaking last week, the SNP leader said the “entirely unwelcome” protests “create a sense of fear and alarm”.
Arguing that Scotland is a welcoming country, the First Minister said: “People obviously have the right of peaceful protest in a democracy, but I think the protests outside the hotels that are providing accommodation for asylum seekers are completely unacceptable.
“I think they are distasteful.”