As refugee centers reach capacity and the annual hotel cost reaches £2.4 billion, it was reported last night that homeowners are being urged to provide shelter for migrants.
Serco, a private contractor, offers prospective landlords rent and maintenance charges for up to five years, as well as council tax and utility payments for renters.
According to The Sun, Serco has stated that it will investigate all sorts of property in the North West Midlands and East of England, including vacant residences, second homes, care homes, and student housing.
The Home Office was only able to process four percent of asylum claims from migrants who crossed the English Channel last year, while a record number of people have landed in the UK by small boat in 2022.
In 2019, the Home Office awarded Serco a 10-year contract costing a record £1.9 billion to house at least 30,000 asylum seekers in 6,000 homes.
However, the plan has angered several ministers, including Dover’s representative, Natalie Elphicke, who fears it will exacerbate the housing crunch.
She told the Sun: ‘The small boats crisis is making it considerably more difficult for Britons who are already battling to keep a roof over their heads or buy their own home.
This emphasizes the importance of addressing the problem to alleviate strain on housing and other key municipal services.
Serco has been approached by MailOnline for comment.
Last year, 28,526 individuals attempted to cross the Channel in small boats. On October 12, migrants are pictured on the shore of Gravelines, close to Dunkirk.
Two RNLI lifeboats transport migrants to shore at Dungeness on October 12
A Home Office official stated, ‘The number of people arriving in the United Kingdom who require housing has reached record levels, putting significant pressure on our asylum system.’
“As a result of this extraordinary strain, more than 33,000 asylum-seekers are currently staying in hotels, costing the British public more than £5 million every day. This is unacceptable, and we are working diligently with local authorities to locate safe, permanent housing.’
Dan O’Mahoney, head of the Border Force clandestine threat, told the Home Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday that 96 percent of asylum petitions made by migrants making the crossing in 2021 are still pending.
One to two percent of the male youth of Albania cross the English Channel in small boats.
Mr. O’Mahoney described a ‘exponential’ increase in the number of Albanians crossing the English Channel this year – 12,000, including 10,000 single men.
Approximately one to two percent of the country’s young male population, according to him. This category includes guys between the ages of 20 and 40.
‘Two years ago, 50 Albanians landed in the United Kingdom through tiny boats; last year, 800; and so far this year, 12,000; of which about 10,000 are single adult men,’ he claimed.
“Therefore, the increase has been exponential, and we believe that is mostly due to the fact that Albanian criminal gangs have established a foothold in northern France and have began assisting significant numbers of migrants. Within that cohort, there are unquestionably people who need our assistance, but there are also a significant number who are purposefully gaming the system.’
85 percent of those who completed the process were granted refugee status or another form of protection.
MPs were informed that £5.6 million a day is being spent on hotels for those who have arrived in the United Kingdom and submitted a claim, with an additional £1.2 million being paid to house Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban takeover until long-term housing is sought.
The amount of $6,8 million is approximately $2 million higher than what the government stated it would spend in February (£4.7 million). Abi Tierney, director general of the passport office and UK visas and immigration, responded, “Yes” when asked by committee chairwoman Dame Diana Johnson if the fee was likely to increase again.
In addition, it was revealed yesterday that the proportion of attempted crossings that were intercepted by French police has decreased from almost 50% last year to 42.5% so far in 2022.
According to Mr. O’Mahoney, the French have prevented 28,000 migrants from crossing in 1,072 boats this year.
He acknowledged this was a lesser percentage but emphasized it was a “far, much larger amount,” explaining that French officials had prevented 28,000 migrants from crossing the English Channel and destroyed 1,072 boats so far this year.
Mr. O’Mahoney stated, “I should put on record my gratitude to the French…this is roughly double what they were able to accomplish last year, so it is extremely, really significant.”
However, he continued, ‘It is true to state that migrants can attempt to cross the border on multiple occasions, so that 28,000 migrants may not be distinct, unique migrants, but rather 28,000 attempts.’
To already in 2022, more than 38,000 migrants have arrived in the United Kingdom after crossing the Channel in over 900 vessels, compared to 28,526 in the same period last year.
As he assumes office, one of Rishi Sunak’s top tasks will be to reduce the number of migrants who risk their lives by crossing the English Channel.
In France, refugees apprehended attempting to cross the Channel are not imprisoned and processed.
According to Mr. O’Mahoney, French legislation makes it impossible for French officials to take such action.
He told the committee that French beach patrols in the north of the country were merely “one brick in the wall” of attempts to prevent crossings of the English Channel.
Since a cooperative intelligence cell was established in France a few years ago, he claimed, British and French investigators had “dismantled” 55 severe organized crime gangs operating behind such border crossings due to their efforts.
It is believed that the Novotel hotel group has also negotiated lucrative agreements with the Home Office to shelter refugees (pictured: Novotel at Newcastle Airport)
Four-star accommodations such as the Royal Hotel in Hull have been utilized to shelter migrants.
Yesterday, Suella Braverman was reinstated as Home Secretary, just six days after being removed for violating the Ministerial Code.
Demand an investigation as Braverman returns to the Home Office six days after being fired.
Rishi Sunak is facing requests for an official investigation following his reappointment of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary just six days after she was fired for a security breach.
After the new Prime Minister reinstated her, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats voiced “national security” concerns and demanded a Cabinet Office probe on Wednesday.
Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, the most senior civil servant, is ‘livid’ and’very disturbed’ about the breach, according to a Times source. Ms. Braverman was fired by Liz Truss after she violated the ministerial code by emailing an official document to a Tory backbencher via her personal email.
Ms. Braverman, who had been in the position for six weeks, admitted to making a “error” that was a “technical violation” of the guidelines. However, concerns remain as to why she forwarded the material to fellow right-winger Sir John Hayes and how she inadvertently copied another MP, who raised the alarm, on the document.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper demanded a probe into the scope of this and other suspected security breaches in a letter to Mr. Case.
She wrote: “Given the Prime Minister’s decision to reappoint her to the Cabinet post overseeing national security, it is imperative that the public have full knowledge of what transpired.”
No crossings were registered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday or Tuesday. In October alone, at least 5,000 individuals made the crossing, according to preliminary government data.
Mr. Sunak has pledged to continue the government’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda.
Despite being announced in April, the £120 million project has not yet begun due to a number of legal issues.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel proposed the ideas as a means of reducing the number of migrants undertaking the risky trek over the English Channel to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Sunak will have to determine how he will proceed with the scheme, which may involve a reevaluation of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights.
And, if the plan continues to stall, the Prime Minister will have to determine what additional steps to take to reduce the number of migrants arriving in small boats.
Yesterday, Suella Braverman was reinstated as Home Secretary, just six days after being removed for violating the Ministerial Code.
Ms. Braverman outlined fresh proposals earlier this month that would prohibit migrants who cross the English Channel from requesting asylum and stated that it was her “dream” to see a government flight deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.
“We must prevent the vessels from crossing the Channel. Ms. Braverman told the Conservative Party conference, “This has persisted for far too long.”
I will introduce legislation to make it clear that the only road to the United Kingdom is a safe and lawful route, I promise to you today.
According to a government source, the new powers would go beyond existing law and would prohibit anyone who enters Britain illegally, including in small boats crossing the English Channel, from claiming asylum.
The charity Care4Calais described the government’s measures as brutal, untruthful, and needless, and stated that the majority of asylum seekers entering the United Kingdom are real refugees.
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