Govan Law Centre and Positive Action in Housing will hold a press conference to give reaction to Scotland’s Supreme Court decision in Ali v Serco Ltd, Compass SNI Ltd and the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
12.30pm on Wednesday 13 November 2019.
Govan Law Centre: Orkney Street Enterprise Centre (Units 4 & 6), 18-20 Orkney Street, Glasgow, G51 2BX.
Asylum seekers who are effected by this decision will be available for interview. Mike Dailly and Lorna Walker (Govan Law Centre), Robina Qureshi (Positive Action in Housing), Fiona McPhail (Shelter Scotland) and others will give reaction. Other housing, advice, legal and asylum seeker agencies will attend.
Scotland’s Supreme Court appellate decision in Ali v Serco Ltd, Home Office and others will be decided and announced after midday.
This decision will decide whether lock change evictions of asylum seekers is lawful in Scotland/UK and it will have immediate effect on around 130 lock change evictions subject to interim interdicts from Glasgow Sheriff Court. It will also have profound implications for the human rights and housing rights of a further 330 asylums seekers in Scotland.
Govan Law Centre, are representing Mrs Ali’s reclaiming motion (appeal) to Scotland supreme civil appellate court (the Inner House of the Court of Session) to prevent Serco deploying its lock change programme against 300 asylum seeker and refugee households. Serco announced they were doing this on 12 June 2019.
Serco provide asylum seekers with accommodation under the UK Government’s dispersal programme. They have been trying to evict asylum seekers without a court order. In normal circumstance you can not evict a tenant or residential occupier in the UK without a court order.
Asylum seekers have no right to work, cannot access the benefit system and rely on public services and charitable services like food banks. Asylum seekers are often exploited and are often living in very poor conditions. Many are destitute.
We have – with other legal and support organisations – managed to protect the living conditions of our clients pending the outcome of this case on Wednesday.
