According to Sky News, the Home Office has purchased marquees to house 2,000 migrants at former military installations by the end of August. As part of emergency preparations for the anticipated rise in Channel crossings, the tents will begin to be erected over the upcoming weeks.
The Times, which broke the story, claims that Border Force predicts that, similar to the previous year, the following three months will be the busiest period for small boat trips.
“It’s obvious we can’t be in a position where we’re having to spot-book expensive hotels on the fly for migrants,” a Home Office source told the newspaper. “When necessary, there is nothing wrong with this type of temporary housing. It is utilized in other nations as well.”
More than 51,000 asylum seekers are presently staying in hotels, which are costing the UK taxpayer Β£6 million a day, a government spokesperson told Sky News. “We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable,” the spokesperson said.
We continue to look at various housing solutions while collaborating with local authorities and other departments of government.
“Accommodation offered to asylum seekers, on a no-choice basis, meets our legal and contractual requirements.”
The tweet below confirms the news:
Home Office buys marquees to house migrants ahead of expected surge in Channel crossings https://t.co/8uIiEStJDV
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 28, 2023
The government has previously employed marquees to lodge asylum seekers; six were set up at the Manston processing center last autumn to handle an influx of visitors.
The tents are part of a larger plan to find new housing for asylum seekers in order to lower the hotel bill, which the government claims costs taxpayers Β£6 million per day to keep them.
A High Court order was issued on Thursday to stop protests at a hotel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that will host up to 241 asylum seekers. It follows the failure of Carmarthenshire County Council’s own High Court injunction request to temporarily freeze the proposals on July 7.
According to a Whitehall insider who spoke to Sky News, the first asylum applicants are scheduled to board the contentious Bibby Stockholm barge on Tuesday.
Migrants to Be Housed on Ship in Portland Port
In the next months, it is anticipated that 500 single men will be brought on board the ship that is currently berthed in Portland Port, Dorset, from the initial 50.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s fight to “stop the boats” has been hampered by a record backlog and thousands of individuals making unauthorized Channel crossings.
Refugee groups, however, argued that the use of such locations jeopardizes the requirements of the most vulnerable and raises issues with the safety of migrants.
Concerns about how local services in their constituencies, like police and healthcare, may be harmed have also been expressed by Conservative MPs who represent the areas where the facilities are being developed.
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The Bibby Stockholm, which had been delayed by a month due to maintenance, was met by demonstrators as it arrived at Portland Port on Tuesday of last week.
On the island, which has a population of about 13,000 people, several locals have voiced worries about their safety and complained that the infrastructure is insufficient to accommodate both newcomers and those who already live there.
The Bibby Stockholm has finished a required inspection and renovation and is now berthing in Portland, according to a Home Office spokesman.
The barge is currently undergoing final preparations to ensure it complies with all applicable requirements prior to the arrival of the first asylum seekers in the upcoming weeks. “The welfare of those in our care is of the utmost priority,” the statement reads.
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