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The report produced by a parliamentary committee points out that the Home Office has mishandled billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on asylum accommodation. The Home Affairs Committee criticizes the department for its “flawed contracts” and “incompetent delivery,” leading to an inability to meet the surging demand for asylum accommodations. Instead of utilizing hotels as temporary solutions, the Home Office has made them the default choice, resulting in excessive costs and insufficient efforts to recover profits.
According to the committee, the current system of housing asylum seekers in hotels is costly, unpopular with local communities, and unsuitable for the asylum seekers themselves. The report highlights that under the Conservatives, contracts with accommodation providers were poorly structured, lacking adequate oversight to identify and address failures as they arose. The expected costs for hotel contracts from 2019-2029 have ballooned from £4.5bn to £15.3bn, with millions of excess profits owed by two providers that the Home Office has failed to recoup.
The lack of leadership at a senior level within the Home Office has contributed to its incapacity to effectively manage the situation. The committee’s chair, Dame Karen Bradley, criticizes the department for neglecting the day-to-day oversight of contracts and focusing on reactionary measures instead of proactively managing the issue. External factors such as the pandemic and a surge in small boat arrivals have necessitated the prolonged accommodation of asylum seekers, exacerbated by decisions made by the previous Conservative government to delay asylum determinations in pursuit of deportation agreements.
Despite facing a challenging operational environment, the Home Office’s response has been chaotic, failing to meet the demands of the situation effectively. MPs have cited numerous instances of inadequate asylum accommodations and unaddressed safeguarding concerns for vulnerable individuals. In response to the report, a Home Office spokesperson asserts that steps have already been taken to address the issues, including closing hotels, reducing asylum costs significantly, and exploring alternative accommodation options like military bases and disused properties. Various protests and counter-protests have occurred throughout the UK this year, notably in Epping, following incidents at The Bell Hotel involving an asylum seeker charged with sexual assaults
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