asylum seekers, USA News (London): The UK Government has announced plans to use £150 million of taxpayers’ money to fund additional large sites to accommodate asylum seekers. Following Chancellor John Healey’s Budget statement, it was revealed that Labour is set to facilitate the Government’s commitment to ending asylum hotels.
In the Treasury red book, the document states that the Government is providing £150 million capital investment in 2027-2028 to fund additional large sites to accommodate asylum seekers and facilitate the commitment to end the use of asylum hotels. The Home Office has stated that its plan to close asylum hotels and move people into alternative accommodation is saving taxpayers money.
A Home Office spokesman previously said of the strategy that the Government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1 billion on asylum support since the election. The spokesman added that authorities are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving them into alternative accommodation, including former military sites designed to be self-contained to reduce the impact on local communities. As part of the process, officials engage with local authorities and police forces to ensure safety and security in surrounding areas.
The funding announcement comes amid nationwide backlash from several British communities opposing current and future asylum sites. One public dispute from campaigners in Piddington captured attention when residents in the Oxfordshire village held a symbolic referendum last month and voted to leave the UK in protest at Home Office plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at the nearby former MoD Bicester. The village holds a population of less than 400 people.
Similarly, residents of Barnham became another village to vote on holding a referendum over plans to house 913 asylum seekers at a nearby RAF base. Barnham’s population hovers around 600 residents, with the expected arrivals consisting entirely of young single men.
