Asylum seeker 'pause' in Grantham, says council

The government has ordered a halt on any new properties being turned into homes for asylum seekers in Grantham, Lincolnshire, according to the local authority.

South Kesteven District Council said it had successfully argued for a "temporary pause" after complaining to the government.

Deputy leader Paul Stokes told the BBC the district was told to expect 300 asylum seekers but that "we've already gone past that" and "most of them are in Grantham".

The Home Office said it did not comment on accommodation sites, but it was moving asylum seekers out of hotels and "into more suitable accommodation".

The government has promised to move all asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament and is using private company Serco to buy small properties, such as houses and flats, to be used as alternative accommodation.

Stokes said 70 properties had already been bought - the majority of them in Grantham - because "properties in the town are easier to convert".

"There was a further pipeline of properties they were looking to utilise and that has now been stopped," he said.

"Obviously we want to help people but to do that we need to be able to control how that is done. We need to check those houses are OK to live in and keep regular checks on them."

He said the temporary pause had been ordered after the council "pushed back", but he did not know how long the pause would last.

On Thursday, the council will vote on whether to introduce new controls forcing property owners to get planning permission before converting properties into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) accommodating up to six people. It would mirror the step taken by North Lincolnshire Council last October.

Similar proposals had been put before the South Kesteven council three times before, but have either not been debated or failed to gain support.

Gareth Davies, Conservative MP for Grantham and Bourne, said he had also spoken to the government "to raise strong local concerns".

"I am pleased to confirm that the minister has instructed Serco to immediately halt all procurement of dispersed asylum accommodation in Grantham," he said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This government is restoring order and control to our borders by removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain and increasing removals of those with no right to be here.

"We will close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, returning them to local communities and moving asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation, including former miliary sites."

Serco declined to comment.

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