Asylum seekers on barge will be 'free to come and go as they want'

Asylum seekers who will be housed on migrant barge off the coast of Dorset will be ‘free to come and go as they want’ and will be provided with free bus service into town, Home Office confirms

Asylum seekers who will be housed on a migrant barge in a south coast harbour will be ‘free to come and go as they want’, the Home Office has confirmed.

A free bus service will be laid on daily to transport around 500 migrants from the Bibby Stockholm in and out of Portland Port in Dorset.

Once they have left the port they will be free to roam around Weymouth, Portland and beyond. They will also have access to local services, including a GP. 

The plan to moor the barge in Portland Port has been met with strong opposition from local residents, the MP for Dorset South, Dorset Council and NHS Dorset.

Chief among the concerns is the sudden impact the introduction of 500 people will have on the local community.

A free bus service will be laid on daily to transport around 500 migrants from the Bibby Stockholm (pictured) in and out of Portland Port in Dorset

A photo of one of the bedrooms inside the barge, which was previously used by offshore workers 

A photo of a lounge and bar area inside the barge  

Locals fear that already over-stretched local services, including GP surgeries, won’t be able to cope with the influx.

Many have voiced worries about an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour, risk to their personal safety and the impact on tourism.

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Tensions were high at a public meeting where Home Office officials sought to allay locals’ fears. 

A Home Office official explained that all the asylum seekers on the barge will be young, healthy men from different faiths and backgrounds, who will be heavily vetted by police and immigration services to ensure they have no criminal history.

They will have to abide by a code of conduct during their stay and partake in various activities on the barge to occupy them.

Roy Payne, the Home Office’s communication and engagement lead, told around 200 people that all of the asylum seekers will have been in the UK since at least March this year and are already having their asylum requests processed.

He said: ‘The government understands wherever it locates the vessel there will be a potential impact on the local community and public services.

‘They can leave whenever they want, but as with anyone coming into a port – it is a dangerous environment – all people who don’t work there will have to be escorted, just as people on cruise ships have to be escorted off.

Tensions were high at a public meeting at All Saints Church in Easton, Portland, where Home Office officials sought to allay locals’ fears

A gym inside the barge, which is owned by Liverpool based company Bibby Marine  

‘They will have the same freedoms as if they were in hotels or the community.

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‘We will use a bus to take people to various places but that doesn’t mean the bus goes at the same time to the same place every day, we will build it around the needs of those on the barge.

‘We are expecting minimal impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in the area. There will be a code of conduct for all those aboard outlining the behaviour expected on board and away from the barge.

‘One key part of reducing the impact is the criteria of people on the barge.. The asylum seekers will have a vaccination record. Healthy single, adult males tend to place less demand on the health service.

‘There are going to be transport arrangements but we haven’t got those set up yet. The first intake will be relatively small to test the arrangements with small numbers of people in the first few months. It’s not going to be immediately occupied at full capacity.

‘We recognise this is not an ideal solution but we are working with local communities and other locations have shown it can be done in a safe, secure and successful way.’

Single adult males will be housed on the barge while their asylum claims are processed

The barge offers ‘delicious, nutritious food’ in its restaurant and Wi-Fi throughout the ship

Mr Payne explained the 500 asylum seekers will share ‘good standard’ twin bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and have access to Wifi.

He insisted the barge was a temporary measure while the Home Office dealt with the huge backlog of asylum seeker applications.

He said: ‘The current situation is that there are 50,000 migrants in hotel accommodation costing several billion pounds a year. If we had enough houses they would be in the community.

‘This has been done successfully in the past in Scotland and Holland. The concerns that this is a prison are unfounded, it will be a basic standard of accommodation.

‘This is very much a temporary situation. The government is taking steps to reduce the inflow and speed up processing of claims to reduce the backlog. Within a year to 18 months we hopefully won’t have a need for it.

‘The asylum seekers will have a support service no different to the existing service in hotels. They will have free access to legal advice and Wifi so they can keep connected.

The barge offers ‘delicious, nutritious food’ in its restaurant and Wi-Fi throughout the ship

The barge, operated by Liverpool-based Bibby Marine features a games room 

‘There will be a multi-faith group to allow people to exercise their faith. There will be a wide range of activities. At the Napier barracks they have sport, cultural activities, to some extent we have to wait til the people come on board and start identifying what their interests are.

‘The space is fully in-line with international standards. They will be shared bedrooms with an en suite. It is basic accommodation but still to a good standard. There is a dining room, kitchens, communal areas of different types, there will be an exercise area.’

There has been a lot of anger that there was no public consultation over the plans to put the asylum barge in Portland Harbour.

Instead a private deal was negotiated between the Home Office and the owners of Portland Port who, it is rumoured, are being paid £2.5m to house the barge.

Both Portland Town Council and Dorset Council said they still had concerns and did not feel Portland was a suitable location but were trying to do their best for the people to find solutions.

The Bibby Stockholm will offer ‘basic and functional accommodation, healthcare provision, catering facilities and 24/7 security

The vessel will be moved into position off Dorset in the middle of June. Pictured, the boat arriving in Falmouth

Laura Beddow, head of culture and communities at Dorset Council, said: ‘We were made aware of the arrangements between the Home Office and Portland Port. We were not consulted, there was no formal consultation.

‘As a local authority that means we have a duty to fulfil obligations and look at what safe things need to be put in place both for people on the barge and off it, our local community.

‘Dorset Council’s position remains that Portland Port is not a suitable place for this, however that will not stop us carrying out the statutory duties we need to do.

‘We have decided not to pursue legal action as it is unlikely to be successful and would incur high costs for Dorset Council taxpayers.’

Jim Draper, leader of Portland Town Council, said: ‘The PTC still remains very unsure and not yet completely reassured by the Home Office.’

Portland currently has just one GP surgery and no hospital.

Paul Johnson, chief medical officer for NHS Dorset, said: ‘We cannot afford to be spending any more money within our budget, the funding has to come from the national team and we are not putting in any extra services until that money is confirmed.’

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