The chairman of the commission for Racial Equality has blamed the government's policy of dispersing asylum seekers around the country for the outbreak of riots in British towns.
Speaking at the Housing Corporation's race and housing conference in London on Tuesday, Trevor Phillips described the system as "disastrous" for "dumping people in unsustainable locations".

Phillips blamed the dispersal system for last month's fighting between Iraqi Kurd refugees and housing estate residents in Wrexham. He added: "The government can't put them in places where people are already anxious and angry."

Phillips called for the system to be suspended in potentially volatile areas, and for the National Asylum Support Service's new regional offices to be given more power to direct where asylum seekers are accommodated.

The creation of NASS regional bases last week was welcomed by the sector as a significant step towards raising the profile of asylum needs on the agendas of the regional housing boards.

Meanwhile, new housing minister Keith Hill called on architects to "unleash their talents" in designing high-quality social housing.

In a related move to attract a more diverse range of architects to work in social housing, the Housing Corporation announced that it would be setting up an architecture forum, called FABRIC.

Members are set to include housing associations, architects and tenant groups. They will be charged with promoting innovative, sustainable design within social housing.

Source

Housing Today