The UK Government is set to cease its use of former military bases as accommodation for illegal immigrants seeking asylum, instead opting for a policy known as “dispersed accommodation.” This change is aimed at reducing pressure on local services by spreading migrants across the UK rather than having them concentrated in specific areas.
Leading this initiative is Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party government. The current sites used for accommodating migrants, such as RAF Scampton, RAF Wethersfield, and the Bibby Stockholm barge, are said to be overwhelming local services, leading to a more equitable distribution of asylum seekers.
To implement this plan, the UK Labour Party is collaborating with municipal councils to determine how many migrants can be sent to each location. Contractors have also been enlisted by the Home Office to find suitable sites for accommodating these individuals, including former elderly care facilities and student apartments. Moreover, they are considering engaging landlords with vacant single-family homes.
Another aspect of this policy is the potential use of hotels in response to soaring rental prices in the UK. The National Audit Office has suggested that utilizing larger sites could cost tens of millions more than using hotels for housing migrants. Additionally, they are looking into ways to process the backlog of asylum seekers faster to reduce the need for larger sites and alleviate pressure on local services.
A source within the Labour Party expressed support for this new approach, stating that it is intended to ensure a more equitable distribution of asylum seekers across the UK. This would prevent specific areas from experiencing overwhelming numbers of migrants, thus allowing these locations to provide better support for the individuals in need.
However, not everyone agrees with this policy change. Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, criticized the Starmer administration’s decision on social media, accusing them of prioritizing the needs of “illegal migrants” over British citizens. Former Tory MP Alex Stafford also voiced his concerns, calling the plan to scatter asylum seekers “absolutely bonkers.
Despite the controversy surrounding this policy change, Labour officials remain committed to their plan and have promised that every borough in the UK will be responsible for taking its “fair share” of asylum seekers. In the meantime, the government continues to process applications from more than 100,000 migrants seeking asylum in the UK.
Sources for this article include The National Pulse, The Times of London, and European Conservative.