A report that exposed worrying living conditions for asylum seekers placed in Newcastle hotels has been delivered to the Home Secretary.
Suella Braverman has been sent a copy of an investigation conducted by councillors, which found that refugees in the city had been left “vulnerable” and without fresh food or appropriate medical facilities. The inquiry, first published last year, also aired concerns over a lack of basic Covid-19 protection during the pandemic, hotels being targeted by far-right groups, and the living situation reminding torture victims of being in prison.
In a letter to Mrs Braverman, Lib Dem councillor Wendy Taylor highlighted worries over the Home Office using hotels to house asylum seekers and people having to live in them for more than 30 days. Coun Taylor, who chairs Newcastle City Council’s health scrutiny committee, said the investigation had exposed safeguarding concerns and “ the Home Office’s lack of response to reports and alerts”.
She added: “There are examples of lack of consistency and continuity of healthcare provision for asylum seekers with care pathways ending due to sudden moves to different parts of the country, poorly arranged outsourced transport to health appointments and lack of general support. Other health and wellbeing related issues raised were access to social spaces and healthy food.”
City councillors launched the scrutiny review in January 2021 to investigate the housing conditions provided by Mears, which has been contracted by the Home Office to provide housing for asylum seekers in the North East since 2019, and what impact Covid-19 had on asylum seekers’ wellbeing. The findings included a lack of medical facilities meaning doctors having to see refugees in hotel conference rooms, food being of low quality, an absence of communal or kitchen space, reports of broken heating and blocked drains, and “increased community tensions” caused by a concentration of young men in the hotels.
Last September, the West End Refugee Service called the use of hotels “an inhumane way to treat people fleeing persecution”. A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.
“The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £6 million a day. The use of hotels is a temporary solution, and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.”
Mears said last year that it would take on board the city council’s recommendations, adding that meals provided in its hotels were “varied and the nutritional content is in line with NHS Eatwell guidelines”. They added: “Mears aims to move service users on to suitable accommodation in the community as soon as possible but there is currently an acute shortage. We are working to procure additional accommodation and working with the Home Office to, where possible, prioritise moves for those people who have been in hotels for the longest time.
“The NHS is responsible for healthcare provision for asylum seekers. Mears works closely with the CCG and have, where able, set up spaces in hotels to facilitate healthcare appointments and support service users to register and access health services.”
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