Asylum seekers are put in 4-star hotels - at the cost of £900,000 from taxpayers

ASYLUM seekers have been secretly housed in luxury hotels at a cost to taxpayers of £900,000.  The move was caused by a sudden influx of new arrivals which led to overcrowding at a nearby hostel.

Security firm G4S, which has a contract with the Home Office to manage the asylum seekers, was forced to book 405 rooms on a half-board basis at two hotels, including the four-star Holiday Inn, where guests have free use of a health club and spa.  The firm booked 356 beds at the Ramada Encore in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and 49 at the town’s Holiday Inn between mid-March and late April.  The Holiday Inn offers bed, breakfast and an evening meal at prices of up to £100 a night. The Ramada has a restaurant, wi-fi and a wake-up service and every room boasts a flat-screen TV.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/476371/Security-firm-G4S-puts-asylum-seekers-up-in-plush-hotels-without-telling-local-council

Meanwhile, the locals fare differently:



Crisis held its debate on housing and homelessness in London on Wednesday.  Speaking at the debate, London Deputy Mayor for Housing, Richard Blakeway said: "The challenge we have on housing is that we have too few homes and they cost too much. Some really big things need to happen." On homelessness in London he said that there were "more big challenges to come"

Also speaking at the debate, Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis,  warned that conversations around private renting tended to completely forget the bottom 10%, who "get pulled and pushed within the overall politics of housing in London."  Single homeless people have to prove that they are "vulnerable enough" for real help from councils. Speaking about this, Leslie called for a change in the law so that "all homeless people have a right to be housed."

http://www.crisis.org.uk/news.php/831/leading-figures-debate-housing-and-homelessness-in-london

Wow, makes up for the normal cases where they are put up in utter shit holes Tess

An influential group of MPs has slammed the private providers of accommodation for asylum seekers.
The Public Accounts Committee has todaypublished a damning new report into the provision of the Government appointed COMPASS contracts primarily delivered by Serco, G4S and Clearel.
The report described the standard of accommodation provided as "unacceptably poor” and highlighted failures in improving the quality of housing in a timely manner.
The Committee also criticised contractors’ lack of prior experience in managing asylum accommodation and referred to the providers’ overall performance as "patchy”.
The Refugee Council has long held concerns about the availability and quality of housing available to asylum seekers.
Refugee Council Advocacy Manager Dr Lisa Doyle said: "These super contracts were awarded on the basis that the Home Office would make a significant cost saving. Sadly, the real implication appears to have been significant human cost.
 "Asylum seekers have often fled the worst kind of atrocities in their home countries and have endured perilous journeys on their path to safety. Some people arrive in the UK only with only the clothes on their back.  
"They have no choice where they live, and as this report demonstrates, often no way of speaking up if they don’t feel safe.
"It’s vital that while people wait for a decision on their asylum claim they are housed in secure and comfortable conditions.”
Read the Committee’s full report here.


http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/4071_mps_slam_asylum_housing_providers

Newly granted refugees are facing homelessness and destitution due to administrative delays and errors, the Refugee Council warns.
Our new research [size=14]published today has uncovered evidence of refugees being forced to sleep rough and beg for money or, if they’re lucky, rely on the generosity of charities and friends for food and shelter.
The report, 28 Days Later: the experiences of new refugees in the UK, examines the transition period between when someone is granted refugee status and their Asylum Support ends. Current Home Office policy is that those who are in receipt of Asylum Support cease to be entitled to accommodation and cash support 28 days after their notification of being granted refugee status.
This represents a rapid change in circumstances for people who may not have been in the UK for very long, are unfamiliar with the systems, may not speak good English and will not have had access to employment and savings.
Under the current system, refugees must quickly obtain housing and a means to support and feed themselves and their families but face multiples barriers to doing so with people often waiting for months to be issued the correct documentation to enable them to claim mainstream benefits, find employment and support themselves.
Refugees are left at particular risk of homelessness as they are often not classed as ‘priority need’ for housing by local authorities and will usually lack the savings necessary to access the private rental sector.
Refugees interviewed for the research described the period as “confusing and chaotic”.  
The report highlights the difficulties faced by refugees trying to prove their identity, residency and eligibility for access to public services. The Refugee Council fears this will be exacerbated under the new Immigration Bill as identity checks are strengthened and extended.
Report author, Refugee Council Advocacy Manager Dr Lisa Doyle said: "Refugees have fled horrifying experiences in their own countries and have lost everything. When they arrive in the UK, many are met by a complex, hostile asylum system which can leave people living in limbo for years, waiting to have a final decision on their fate.
"Being finally recognised as a refugee should be a moment to be celebrated. It is unacceptable that the reverse is true and that it is a confusing, chaotic period where people can find themselves on the street, begging for money.
"It seems perverse that when someone is accepted as in need of protection the state puts them at further risk through bureaucratic failures that can make them homeless and destitute.
"The Home Office must urgently review the current system to ensure that vulnerable refugees are not left unsupported.”
Ivo, a refugee from Cameroon, waited months to receive his National Insurance Number after being granted refugee status, due to a series errors made by the Home Office. Unable to work because of a serious medical condition resulting from his traumatic experiences in his home country, Ivo struggled to access the benefits he was entitled to. When his asylum support ended, he became homeless.
Ivo was helped into an emergency hostel by the Refugee Council before being assisted to secure a room in private rented accommodation. He is now studying Health and Social care at college and hopes to become a nurse or social worker in the future.
Ivo said: "I felt relieved when I got my refugee status but in reality it was just the beginning of a whole new set of problems. Accessing housing and other services has been very stressful. The Government should do more to help refugees integrate so other people don’t have to go what I went through. I was a refugee with no refuge.”
The Refugee Council is calling on the Government to issue refugees with their appropriate documentation without delay and to ensure that refugees are fully supported to access the benefits and services they are entitled to.
Read the full report.[/size]

Didge, do you know what - i completely agree with you 100%.

Everybody should live free from worry, from harm, in wonderful modern houses.

They should have a choice too - if you want to live in the countryside you should be able to. Bungalow - you should be able to choose.

We should cater for those in need - accessible toilets should be available - handles in tactical places on the wall if you are infirm and have difficulty standing.

Need help? Well there should be a carer on standby at all times.

Dick.

BigAndy9 wrote:Didge, do you know what - i completely agree with you 100%.

Everybody should live free from worry, from harm, in wonderful modern houses.

They should have a choice too - if you want to live in the countryside you should be able to.  Bungalow - you should be able to choose.

We should cater for those in need - accessible toilets should be available - handles in tactical places on the wall if you are infirm and have difficulty standing.

Need help?  Well there should be a carer on standby at all times.

Dick.

Yes you are a dick Andy, we know that because you and Tess show such a unbalanced view point on many things which you both hate I am able to rubbish away such poor idiotic claims from you both, why you both throw your dummies out all the time.

Vote for ousted racist Nigel. who will not live next door to a Romanian but a German and claims the LBC should know why?

What an epic fuck up ha ha ha

BigAndy9 wrote:Didge, do you know what - i completely agree with you 100%.

Everybody should live free from worry, from harm, in wonderful modern houses.

They should have a choice too - if you want to live in the countryside you should be able to.  Bungalow - you should be able to choose.

We should cater for those in need - accessible toilets should be available - handles in tactical places on the wall if you are infirm and have difficulty standing.

Need help?  Well there should be a carer on standby at all times.

Dick.

the dick head didge is a racist he hates the english what a wanker

Vicar of Dibley wrote:

BigAndy9 wrote:Didge, do you know what - i completely agree with you 100%.

Everybody should live free from worry, from harm, in wonderful modern houses.

They should have a choice too - if you want to live in the countryside you should be able to.  Bungalow - you should be able to choose.

We should cater for those in need - accessible toilets should be available - handles in tactical places on the wall if you are infirm and have difficulty standing.

Need help?  Well there should be a carer on standby at all times.

Dick.

the dick head didge is a racist he hates the english what a wanker

Can we have Dibs back please and not her husband


Thanks

What a wonderful use of tax payers money ...!

Didge wrote:

Vicar of Dibley wrote:

the dick head didge is a racist he hates the english what a wanker

Can we have Dibs back please and not her husband


Thanks

he's waiting for his authorization won't be long didge

Asylum seekers are liars and con people who  falsely use our asylum laws to enhance their chances of staying in our country.
We have more than enough layabouts, people in need of our own without letting more in.