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The government wants asylum seekers to be accommodated on barges off the Dorset coast “as soon as possible” and denies it will affect local services, the minister said.
Transport Minister Richard Holden has suggested that the first batch of migrants arriving on the British coast could be accommodated on a three-story barge in Dorset’s Portland harbor within months.
The Interior Ministry yesterday confirmed plans to put about 500 asylum seekers on barges as part of government efforts to stop the use of expensive hotels and deter people from crossing the Channel.
of bivy stockholm The ship was used to accommodate around 500 asylum seekers in the Netherlands in the early 2000s.
Asked when the vessel, which is currently being towed to the UK from Italy, will be ready for use, Holden told Sky News: do. I hope to do it as soon as possible. “
On whether the barge could be operational by summer, he added:
He argued that the barge was not “a prison of sorts” and that residents could leave, but that asylum seekers held there would affect the Portland locals to whom they were moored. Denied.
“One of the issues that many people are worried about is what the impact will be on local services,” he continued.
“One of the things we make sure at all these sites is like a doctor’s facility, so that they can be processed there and cared for on-site without affecting the local community.”
The plan is facing growing backlash from local politicians, said one member of parliament. I He was preparing to file a legal challenge against the Home Secretary’s failure to consult local officials.
Portland Mayor Pete Roper said he was unconvinced by the minister’s claim that the barge would not affect local services or communities.
“I don’t believe it at all. I have to say that we have had little, if any, consultation with the Home Office and port authorities,” he said.
“As we understand it, it’s not a prison and the port is a safe place, but these individuals cannot be detained within the area and are allowed to travel to other areas. “
He said local authorities had “heard a different story than what the Minister told this morning” and that there had been “limited consultation” with Dorset Council on the plan.
Richard Drax, a Conservative MP for South Dorset, said he was speaking with lawyers about potential legal challenges to the barge plan after the home secretary chose his constituency “without consultation”.
he said I Mr. Braverman called him “out of the blue” last week to inform him of the plans, showing no sympathy for concerns over the influx of immigrants to the seaside town.
“Here’s the message that was delivered: It’s coming. We have no choice,” he said. “As far as I know, negotiations with private port companies have been going on for some time.
Drax said he was “very concerned about a range of issues” raised by the barge plan. This includes the lack of local infrastructure for