The head of security at accommodation for vulnerable disabled asylum seekers has been removed from his duties over concerns about his alleged support for the far-right English Defence League and Tommy Robinson, the Guardian has learned.
The asylum seekers, who have a range of disabilities, have been accommodated by the Home Office in a former care home in Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency in an area where officials from the local Tendring district council have recorded the area’s highest level of hate crimes.
The accommodation is managed by Clearsprings Ready Homes, which last November made profits of £90m from their contract with the Home Office to provide asylum seeker accommodation.
A YouTube channel apparently belonging to the security official mentions the term EDL, has a photo of him wearing a red and white England mask favoured by the EDL and other far-right supporters and includes videos featuring Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon..
Clearsprings has also been the subject of two recent court cases involving potential breaches of housing rules.
The first was a case against the Home Office for failing to provide suitable accommodation for a five-year-old who has frequent seizures and is fed through a tube, who has been cared for by her mother for an extended period in a hotel room. In the court ruling Clearsprings was criticised for having just 14 wheelchair-accessible properties across the whole of London and more broadly “a lack of appropriately adapted housing stock”. The court ordered the Home Office and Clearsprings to find suitable accommodation for the child.
In a second, ongoing, case, Swindon borough council has brought a legal challenge against Clearsprings for what it claims are breaches of housing standards for England relating to Hoouses In Multiple Occupation rules. The case is ongoing.
Clearsprings declined to comment on both court cases.
However, the company did not dispute any of the details of the security guard’s case put to them by the Guardian.
In a statement, it said: “We cannot comment on any current investigation but can advise that we have robust processes in place to deal with complaints raised.”
Maria Wilby, the director of the migrants’ charity Rama, is supporting the disabled asylum seekers at the Clacton accommodation. She said she raised concerns with Clearsprings about the security guard in 2022 and had provided screenshots of his posts on YouTube and X.
Wilby said: “In this accommodation we are working with some of the most vulnerable disabled asylum seekers in the country. When we hear concerns about staff having far-right beliefs it’s terrifying.”
Home Office sources confirmed the man had been removed from operational duties at the accommodation after concerns about his far-right affiliations were raised. They added that the safety of asylum accommodation sites was critical and that they work closely with contractors to ensure appropriate security measures are in place.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We always expect suppliers to investigate complaints thoroughly and take rapid action where necessary. Mechanisms are in place to hold providers to account if appropriate.”
