Glasgow could become the first city in the UK to pilot changes to the asylum process after a multi-agency taskforce recommended a number of proposed reforms.
The city is keen to lead the way on proposed changes to the existing system agreed by partners on its Asylum Taskforce, which includes the Home Office.
The proposals would make the process easier - both for people seeking asylum and for local authorities in the towns and cities where they hope to build new lives.
Reforms which Glasgow is championing include:-
Annemarie O'Donnell, Chair of the Asylum Taskforce and Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council, said: "When people come to our city looking for help, Glaswegians want to ensure we do everything we can to assist them. This piece of work has been carried out in an open and honest environment and I want to thank colleagues from the Scottish and UK governments, COSLA, Serco, Scottish Refugee Council and the West of Scotland Housing Forum for the way in which they have approached this.
"I am confident that the recommendations in this report, and the work that we will now do together, will allow us to do much more to support some of the most vulnerable people seeking asylum in the UK and in our city."
The taskforce, which included Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Refugee Council, COSLA, the Home Office and Glasgow and West of Scotland Housing Forum, was set up last summer amid concerns about planned evictions of refused asylum seekers in the city. The lock changes have now been paused by Serco, while two legal challenges are heard in court.
Meanwhile, the taskforce has been developing ways in which the relationship between local authorities, the Home Office and their contractors can be recalibrated - to create more of a partnership approach and improve information sharing.
The recommendations were contained in a taskforce closing report and were accepted by all partners, with a commitment from the Home Office to look at each one to determine what can be agreed and implemented.
Glasgow welcomes the highest number of asylum seekers in any UK local authority area and is well placed to pilot process transformation then share its learnings with other cities. It is believed that other areas across the UK are watching developments here with interest.
The proposals would not lead to higher numbers of asylum seekers coming to Glasgow as dispersal would still be managed by the Home Office, with ongoing monitoring through the new Partnership Board.