Homeowners are being offered contracts to take in illegal Channel migrants as govt hotel bill rises to £2.4bn-a-year | The Sun
HOMEOWNERS are being offered long-term contracts to take in illegal migrants in an attempt to deal with record numbers.
They are being asked to help as the hotel bill for those crossing the Channel illegally soars to £2.4billion a year.
Private contractor Serco is offering deals for up to five years — with rent guaranteed in full every month and maintenance costs covered.
It will also pay tenants’ council tax, plus gas and electricity bills.
The news angered some MPs as figures revealed just four per cent of asylum claims were processed last year — with hotel space running out.
More than 38,000 migrants have arrived in the UK in 2022 so far while the number stopped by the French has plummeted, MPs were told yesterday.
The Home Office admitted it splashes out nearly £7million every day on housing them — up £2million since February.
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Serco — awarded a record £1.9billion, ten-year contract by the Home Office in 2019 — is housing at least 30,000 asylum-seekers in 6,000 homes.
The contractor — expected to make at least £150million a year from the scheme — has now issued a fresh call, saying it will consider all types of properties in the North West, Midlands and East of England.
Landlords of empty properties are among those being sought, plus owners of second homes, care homes and former student digs.
Last night, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke warned it would worsen the nation’s housing shortage.
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She said: “The small boats crisis is making it much harder for Brits already struggling to keep a roof over their head or get a home of their own. This underlines why it is so important to tackle the crisis to reduce pressure on housing and other vital local services.”
MPs were told yesterday that the Government is spending £5.6million a day on accommodation for illegal migrants, with costs continuing to soar.
Another £1.2million is paid to house asylum-seekers who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Albanians are now the single biggest nationality arriving in the UK, with 12,000 already this year.
They include 10,000 single adult men, many of whom are feared to be linked to criminal gangs.
Some are staying at holding centres in Kent for up to a month owing to a lack of housing — despite a 24-hour target to move them.
The chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Neal, told MPs yesterday he was shocked at the “wretched conditions” in Manston Airport.
It was meant to hold 1,000 to 1,600 people but when he visited on Monday there were 2,800 — with more on the way.
He said: “I’m not someone who is normally speechless. I was very concerned about Manston when I visited on Monday. As concerned, perhaps, as I’ve ever been about anything over the recent years.
“It’s failing to address vulnerability . . . there are risks there in terms of fire, in terms of disorder, in terms of medical and infection. It’s a really dangerous situation.”
Officials also admitted to MPs that the interception rate by the French had tumbled from 50 per cent in 2021 to 42.5 per cent this year.
Clandestine Channel threat commander Dan O’Mahoney said French authorities had stopped 28,000 migrants crossing the Channel so far in 2022 and intercepted and destroyed 1,072 boats.
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A Home Office spokesman said last night: “The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under extreme pressure.
“As a result of this incredible strain, there are currently more than 33,000 asylum-seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer more than £5million a day. This is unacceptable and we are working hard with local authorities to find safe, permanent accommodation.”
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