MORE than £230million of taxpayers’ money is spent every year on housing asylum seekers, Whitehall figures revealed last night.
Immigration officials have authorised the use of public money on more than 25,000 council houses for claimants to live in while their applications to stay in Britain are processed.
The total cost has nearly doubled – from £132million three years ago – despite Government claims that the number of asylum seekers is falling.
The soaring cost was disclosed by the Home Office in response to a Commons written question from the Tories. Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps, who obtained the figures, said: “While almost two million British households languish on the social housing waiting list, Ministers are paying out huge sums of money behind the scenes to house asylum-seekers.
“We wouldn’t be running the risk of straining community relations had this Government not spent 13 years failing to build the homes we need.”
Matthew Elliott, of campaign group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “The sluggish pace of the asylum process means that taxpayers end up picking up the bill for many people whose applications are invalid."
“If we sped up the system and dealt with applications faster we could reduce this cost a great deal.” The figures showed a total of £584million has been spent on council and other social housing for asylum seekers in the past three years. In 2007-08, 16,550 homes were provided at a cost of £132million.
A year later, the number of households had risen to 19,050 at a cost of £222million. And in the last financial year the number of households was 25,036 while the cost was £230million. The money was paid to council housing consortiums run by local authorities in the North-west, North-east and Midlands, and city councils in Liverpool, Nottingham, Cardiff, Swansea and Glasgow.
Two non-profit making organisations – YMCA Glasgow and the Refugee Housing Association – and six private companies were also awarded the cash from the UK Border Agency. Under international agreements on asylum, the Government is obliged to provide accommodation for applicants waiting for their claims for refugee status to be processed.
Asylum seekers are not entitled to work while their claims are processed but are helped with living costs and accommodation by the Government.
Matthew Coats, head of immigration at the UK Border Agency, said: “Overall asylum support costs have halved since 2003-04. Some asylum seekers’ accommodation costs were transferred to those 18 suppliers after 2006, which may give a false impression of increasing costs. We have secured robust and flexible contracts with commercial suppliers to provide value-for-money accommodation to eligible asylum seekers.
“There has been a significant reduction in asylum application figures – down 70 per cent between 2002 and 2008. We conclude most new asylum cases within six months.” Labour ministers have recently recognised that many white working class voters are becoming increasingly angry about asylum seekers and other immigrants apparently jumping the council housing queue.
Tourism minister Margaret Hodge said British families’ “legitimate sense of entitlement” should be considered when making decisions on housing.
Source Daily Express
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