{"id":80064,"date":"2023-10-19T08:07:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T08:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/?p=80064"},"modified":"2023-10-19T08:07:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T08:07:31","slug":"asylum-seekers-are-set-to-return-to-bibby-stockholm-barge-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/world-news\/asylum-seekers-are-set-to-return-to-bibby-stockholm-barge-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Asylum seekers are set to return to Bibby Stockholm barge today"},"content":{"rendered":"
Asylum seekers are set to return to the Bibby Stockholm barge today, two months after it was evacuated following the discovery of Legionella in the water supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Home Office has said all necessary tests have been completed and letters have been sent to asylum seekers confirming their re-embarkation.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, a van was seen to deliver food including fresh vegetables to the barge.<\/p>\n
Several asylum seekers are expected to return today, with protests expected at the gates of the port from campaign groups who oppose the use of the barge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The Home Office said all necessary tests have been completed on the Bibby Stockholm, which has been out of use since August. The vessel is pictured in Portland yesterday\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nicola David, of the One Life To Live campaign, said that a letter signed by the 39 men who previously stayed on the barge described how they had found the Bibby Stockholm to be a ‘terrifying residence’ like a prison and had left them feeling ‘stress and anxiety’, with one of the asylum seekers having attempted suicide.<\/p>\n
She said: ‘Nothing about the Bibby Stockholm has gone well – it wasn’t even the Home Office’s first or second choice of barge, so they had to settle for something 50 years old, rotten, and unfit for use.<\/p>\n
‘The barge had endless delays for repairs, Legionella, failed plumbing, and fire safety failure.<\/p>\n
‘I discovered that it costs more per head than hotels, not less, so the Government’s strategy doesn’t add up. And there are claims going through the High Court.’<\/p>\n
Last week, local councillor Carralyn Parkes, who is mayor of Portland, lost a High Court fight against Home Secretary Suella Braverman over the lawfulness of housing asylum seekers on the barge.<\/p>\n
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Several residents are expected to return today, with protests expected at the gates of the port from campaign groups who oppose the use of the barge for housing asylum seekers\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Home Office spokesperson said previously: ‘The Home Office has started to send letters to asylum seekers to confirm the re-embarkation of the Bibby Stockholm and notify them that they will be accommodated on board, following the vessel completing all necessary tests.<\/p>\n
‘The letters confirm the next steps for asylum seekers and reiterate that all asylum accommodation continues to be offered on a no-choice basis.<\/p>\n
‘Delivering alternative accommodation sites, such as the vessel, is more affordable for taxpayers and more manageable for communities, due to healthcare and catering facilities on site, 24\/7 security and the purpose-built safe accommodation they provide.’<\/p>\n
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On Tuesday, a van was seen to deliver food including fresh vegetables to the barge<\/p>\n