By Giuseppe De Santis
A recent revelation about the government’s staggering £12 billion expenditure on benefits for immigrants is just the tip of the iceberg. This figure, alarming as it is, does not even begin to capture the full costs associated with asylum seekers, indicating a much larger issue at hand.
The government is spending approximately £2.2 billion per year on foreign aid to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK. As of the end of December, there were 42,000 asylum seekers in contingency accommodation provided by the Home Office, with 38,000 of them staying in hotels, according to a report released by the National Audit Office (NAO) last month.
This spending involves accommodating 735 people in extensive facilities established by the previous Conservative government, including the former RAF base at Wethersfield in Essex and the former Napier barracks in Kent.
Recent data indicates that the government allocated approximately £2.3 billion from the Home Office’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget for asylum accommodation in 2024/25. This amount compares to around £2.5 billion spent in 2023/24 when the Conservatives were in power.
Furthermore, it was announced last month that the total cost of asylum accommodation, which includes hotels, is projected to reach £15 billion over the next 10 years.
According to data from the National Audit Office (NAO), contracts that were initially projected to cost £4.5 billion over a decade starting in 2019 are now expected to reach a total of £15.3 billion for the same period. This significant increase means that, on average, taxpayers will be burdened with a staggering £4,191,780 each day to house asylum seekers throughout these contracts.
A separate analysis from the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed that total costs for 2024-25 are projected to be £1.67 billion. This amount translates to an average of £4,567,123 per day, or approximately £3,172 per minute. The report also indicated that asylum hotels may be more profitable for contractors compared to other types of housing.
The Home Office has awarded contracts to three suppliers: Clearsprings Ready Homes, Mears Group, and Serco. Each of these suppliers operates in two or three regions across the UK.
These suppliers are responsible for sourcing various self-catering accommodations for asylum seekers who are being dispersed throughout the country. Additionally, they subcontract hotels to accommodate tens of thousands of migrants who arrive by small boats across the Channel. Their role is crucial in managing the accommodation needs of asylum seekers at 4-star hotels.
The report found that Clearsprings will receive £7.3 billion over the 10 years from 2019 to 2029, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Serco is expected to receive £5.5 billion, while Mears is due to receive £2.5 billion.
This situation is unacceptable, yet not one of the three main political parties is taking action to address it. The British Democrats stand out as the only credible party willing to address this issue by proposing the abolition of human rights legislation, such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and the UN 1951 Refugee Convention which obligates Britain to accept so-called refugees.
Join us!
Click here to join us as a member.
Or sign up for our free email newsletter at the bottom of the page.
Follow us and share our content on these social media platforms using the links below:
No Comments