Giant barge could be used to house 500 asylum seekers

A giant barge could be used to house more than 500 asylum seekers, under controversial plans to reduce the government’s reliance on hotels.

The Home Office hopes in the coming days to announce a leasing agreement to use the Bibby Stockholm “floatel” in Portland, Dorset, in what could start a fresh Tory row.

Details of the costs and any agreement with the Liverpool-based Bibby Marine Limited were unclear, but the 93-metre long vessel can house up to 506 people.

According to reports, the three-storey barge has been refurbished since it was criticised as an “oppressive environment” when the Dutch government used it to house asylum seekers.

Conservative MP Richard Drax, who represents the area, has previously described the use of boats as “totally and utterly out of the question”.

A Home Office spokeswoman did not confirm or deny the reports.

“The pressure on the asylum system has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which offer better value for money for taxpayers than hotels,” she said.

The move comes after immigration minister Robert Jenrick confirmed the government was exploring the use of vessels to reduce the reliance on expensive hotels and deter people from crossing the Channel.

Mr Jenrick also announced the use of two former RAF sites – Wethersfield in Essex and Scampton in Lincolnshire – to house asylum seekers as well as the site of a former prison in Bexhill, East Sussex.

But two Tory-led councils have threatened legal action over the intended use of the former military bases, while local authorities in Bexhill said on Monday night they are seeking “urgent information” from the Home Office on how to respond to residents’ queries and concerns.

Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council said they didn’t receive any advance notice about the plans for the former Northeye prison, which closed in 1992 and went on to be a training facility for the UAE.

“We are assessing the implications of the proposal and the impact it would have on the local community. We will then consider any further actions,” they said in a joint statement.

“We are very aware that the uncertainty around the issue is not helpful for residents and businesses in Bexhill, and we are asking the Home Office, as a matter of urgency, to set up ways to consider and answer your questions.”

The Home Office argues new types of accommodation must be used to reduce a £6m daily bill caused by using hotels, but the plans have also been met with resistance by opposition MPs and charities.

Labour said the plans are “in addition” to hotel use and won’t address the backlog in the asylum system.

And Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council charity, has described the use of military bases and boats as “wholly inadequate places” to house people who have fled war and persecution.

Sky News has contacted Bibby Marine Limited for comment.

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