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BIBBY 'QUEUE JUMP'
Fury as Bibby Stockholm migrants ‘jump the queue’ for housing leaving locals ‘out in the cold’
Tory councillor Fraser McFarland described the move as a 'shocking betrayal' of the neighbourhood
HUNDREDS of migrants are being moved from the Bibby Stockholm barge to new homes — but furious locals say they have “jumped the queue”.
Asylum seekers will be shifted to a hotel and rented accommodation as Labour ministers rush to close the floating centre by Christmas.
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Around 400 people will be transferred from the vessel, set up by the previous Tory government in Portland, Dorset, to the Midlands, after the barge was axed in a review.
Some will be transferred to a hotel in Wolverhampton, while others will be placed in accommodation in Worksop, Notts.
Council chiefs there have denied talking to private landlords to provide homes for asylum seekers, saying it is the responsibility of Serco, on behalf of the Government.
But Bassetlaw District Council admitted it would have to get involved by law if migrants were granted leave to stay and declared themselves homeless.
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The move has sparked fury from local residents.
Tory councillor Fraser McFarland said it was a “shocking betrayal” of the neighbourhood.
He said: “The Labour government is shoving illegal migrants into Bassetlaw homes while our own residents are left out in the cold.”
One resident told The Sun: “We have local families struggling to find accommodation who are not being helped and now we find out these migrants are jumping the queue.
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"These people need help but we need to look after local families first.”
Bassetlaw Labour MP Jo White has had complaints about one location where asylum seekers are being housed, as there are “three vulnerable women” in adjacent properties.
First migrant to step foot off Bibby Stockholm reveals what life is like on giant housing barge
She has met with concerned residents and asked police officers to monitor the situation.
The MP told constituents in an email: “I fully appreciate how vulnerable you are all feeling and the distress this is causing.”
Bassetlaw councillors were informed the local authority was told only the “very general location of potential asylum accommodation”.
Bibby Stockholm was set up in a bid to cut the bill of housing asylum seekers in hotels.
The latest row comes amid reports the Home Office may be about to open more asylum hotels as demand soars.
As of June, almost 30,000 migrants were being housed in more than 250 hotels, costing £4.2million daily.
The council said it has had “no contact with the Home Office, Serco, or East Midlands councils about transferring people seeking asylum from the Bibby Stockholm to Worksop”.
It went on: “Nor is the council sourcing or providing any accommodation for people seeking asylum.”
564 on Budget day
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A TOTAL of 564 small boat migrants landed in the UK on the day Rachel Reeves hailed axing the Rwanda scheme in her Budget.
They made the dangerous Channel trip in 12 dinghies on Wednesday, a day after a man died trying.
Crossings this year are up 14 per cent on the same point in 2023 — 30,431 compared with 26,605.
Chancellor Ms Reeves trumpeted Labour’s decision to ditch the £700million scheme to relocate migrants to Rwanda for processing.
The Home Office expects to make £2.2billion of extra savings by slashing asylum hotel costs, but Sir Keir Starmer has yet to cut migrant numbers despite making border control a flagship pledge.
Asked if he had failed to turn the tide, the PM’s spokesman said: “It’s going to take time but the Government is working across all fronts to reduce these crossings.”
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He said Labour had “inherited a mess” and pointed to its new Border Security Command.
By Jack Elsom
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