Home Office tight-lipped on why Peterborough was chosen as refuge for asylum seekers and the costs to city

The arrival of up to 146 asylum seekers at Peterborough’s Dragonfly Hotel has triggered questions about why the city has been chosen as a refuge and the impact on its health and welfare services.

News of the Home Office decision to transfer 146 male asylum seekers to the 70 bedroom hotel that overlooks the Rowing Lake at Thorpe Meadow and sits on Nene Park was broken late on November 14.

It prompted concerns at Peterborough City Council where officials say resources are already stretched and that the city is housing more than its share of asylum seekers compared to other areas of the country.

They also feel the hotel is not the ideal location as it is in a residential area with limited access to services and amenities.

Although Peterborough has been providing shelter for asylum seekers over the course of 23 years, a group of 146 is the latest single intake experienced by the city.

And it is the second time in just three years that the location chosen to house the asylum seekers is generally agreed to be inappropriate. It is a year since the Great Northern Hotel was ‘stood down’ as a refuge for asylum seekers.

And a council spokesperson revealed that Peterborough has been used as an area for asylum seekers since 2001 and currently has approximately 550 asylum seekers (including the two hotels) within the city, which is 0.25 per cent of the Peterborough population.

The Peterborough Telegraph submitted 18 questions to the Home Office on Wednesday in a bid to get some clarity around some of the issues about why Peterborough was chosen and how the asylum seekers are looked after and the costs involved.

But by the end of week only a partial reply had been received with a no comment provided for many questions.

These are the questions we asked and the replies received:

• Why was Peterborough chosen as a place for asylum seekers?
• Why was the Dragonfly Hotel in Peterborough chosen as a refuge for asylum seekers?
• Are asylum seekers placed anywhere else in Cambridgeshire
• How many asylum seekers are in Peterborough and which hotels are used? How many hotels in Peterborough are used for asylum seekers?

The Home Office (HO) replied: in answer to the above questions: “It is longstanding government policy to not comment on individual accommodation sites. We are committed to working with local authorities to identify a range of accommodation options to minimise the use of hotels.”

• Does the Home Office pay Peterborough City Council for the asylum seekers that are sent to Peterborough?

HO: We are committed to working with local authorities and they are consulted prior to any accommodation being procured and have the opportunity to object to plans.

• Is each asylum seeker assigned a doctor, a dentist or any other health worker? Or is that person assigned any particular health surgery or dental surgery?
• If so, who pays the cost?

HO: All residents have access to NHS services. The Home Office is not a provider of healthcare – any healthcare provided for asylum seekers is done so by the NHS.

• Are asylum seekers given money by the Home Office or council and if so, how much?

Those on asylum support receive the following - £49.18 for each person in your household to help pay for things like food, clothing and toiletries. If the accommodation provides meals, there is a payment of £8.86 for each person in each household instead.

• Who pays for food and drinks for the asylum seekers while being kept at a hotel?
• Who provides food and drinks for the asylum seekers?
• Are hotel staff used to look after the asylum seekers - ie clean rooms etc?
• Is the hotel paid for taking in asylum seekers and if so, how much does the hotel get? Which organisation pays the hotel?

These all fall under the contracts we have with our providers, details of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts are published on www. gov.uk and can be found via contract finder website: Search results - Contracts Finder.

• How long have asylum seekers placed in Peterborough been in the UK?
• Which countries do asylum seekers sent to Peterborough come from?

H0: We do not provide commentary on the individual circumstances for asylum seekers placed in hotels, or any other Home Office accommodation.

• How are asylum seekers transported to Peterborough?

HO: don’t comment on travel arrangements to and from accommodation for asylum seekers.

• If an application from an asylum seeker in Peterborough to stay in the UK is approved, does that person remain in Peterborough?

HO: Not necessarily, a newly recognised refugee gets 28 days to move on from asylum accommodation following the issue of their discontinuation letter. This means that individuals may have significantly longer than 28 days to move on after receiving their asylum decision. It is important that individuals initiate plans to move on from asylum support as soon as they are served their asylum decision in order to maximise the time they have to make move on arrangements.

• How many asylum seekers placed in Peterborough have been arrested/charged/convicted of any offence in Peterborough?
• And what offences have been committed?

This is not routinely published data and will need to be put into a freedom of information request, or the question pointed towards the local police force who will have data on arrests.