THE UK Home Office has moved 15 asylum seekers to the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge while the accommodation of 20 more was stalled after a group of lawyers filed court cases, according to media reports.

The UK government is also facing mounting criticism for its move, aimed at reducing the cost of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels across the country.

The first cohort of migrants accommodated in the barge was lower than the government’s expectation of 50 people whom they expected to move from hotels to the vessel, docked in Portland Port in Dorset in southwest England, according to Sky News

Cheryl Avery, the director for asylum accommodation at the Home Office, said the first “cohort” had been “successfully onboarded”, but there had been “some challenges”.

According to Sky News, the Home Office has warned asylum seekers who won’t board the vessel that their government support will be cancelled.

A letter sent by the Home Office to one of the asylum seekers who refused to board the barge stated the accommodation “is offered on a no-choice basis”.

Transfers stalled

According to the BBC, the transfer of 20 people, represented by the refugee charity Care4Calais, was cancelled.

According to the charity, the lawyers raised concerns that the accommodation was not suitable for people with disabilities, mental and physical health problems, as well as those who had fled torture and persecution.

“None of the asylum seekers we are supporting have gone to the Bibby Stockholm today as legal representatives have had their transfers cancelled,” Steve Smith, the charity’s CEO, said.

Criticism

Even though the government has vowed to carry on with its plan, there has been considerable local opposition due to concerns about the asylum seekers’ welfare and the impact on local services.

Amnesty International UK condemned the move to house asylum seekers on the Barge.

“It seems there’s nothing this government won’t do to make people seeking asylum feel unwelcome and unsafe in this country,” BBC reported while quoting Steve Valdez-Symonds, the organisation’s refugee and migrant rights director.

The UK government has however pushed back on the criticism, stating the vessel was safe for accommodation.

Talking to Sky News, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the barge was “basically safe and decent” and the policy was about “fairness to the British taxpayer” to find a cheaper alternative to “four-star hotels”.

Home Office minister Sarah Dines also said the vessel would provide “basic but proper accommodation” and would send “a forceful message that there will be proper accommodation but not luxurious,” according to BBC.

Mounting accommodation costs

Earlier this year, the UK Home Office announced the plan to lease a barge to house around 500 asylum seekers to cut lodging costs for migrants arriving on its shores.

According to recent government data, the number of asylum seekers living in hotels across the UK has climbed to over 50,000, the Guardian reported. The accommodation was costing the government more than six million pounds a day.

A total of around 15,071 arrived on the UK’s shores in 2023, down by 15 per cent compared to the number in 2022.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2023