Reform UK reveal what they are doing about asylum accommodation in Lancashire

Stephen Atkinson was speaking in the wake of a temporary injunction issued on Tuesday by the High Court, which has blocked the use of The Bell Hotel in Essex as accommodation for asylum seekers waiting for their applications to be processed.

Reform's national leader, Nigel Farage, quickly pledged that all of the local authorities under his party's control would “do everything in their power” to follow the lead of Tory-run Epping Forest District Council, which brought the Essex case to court.

However, the extent of that power is limited for county authorities in two-tier areas like Lancashire, where housing and planning are responsibilities that sit largely with borough and city councils such as Preston, Wyre and Burnley - otherwise known as the districts.

That fact was acknowledged by County Cllr Atkinson himself shortly after being elected to head the new ruling group at Lancashire County Council in May.

At the time, he nevertheless said he would be telling the Home Office that the people of Lancashire “did not vote for asylum seekers to come here” - while also checking “the legal basis” of converting hotels and other accommodation in the county for asylum use.

The Epping Forest ruling was partly based on the fact planning permission had not been granted for the change of use of The Bell Hotel - but also that harm had resulted from the move, in the form of violent protests after one of its new occupants was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Marking its 100th day in charge at Lancashire County Council earlier this month, Reform announced it had launched “a review” into what it described as “asylum and illegal migrant housing” during its early months in office. However, the nature of that work is unknown, as it has not yet appeared on a cabinet agenda at the authority.

In response to a request for comment from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) on both the Epping injunction and the county council’s own review, County Cllr Atkinson said: “We will be considering carefully the decision at Epping Forrest and are awaiting further information about the ruling.

"We have recently written to the 12 district councils in Lancashire, asking if they would take on ‘Article 4 directions’ in relation to Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs).

"This would mean that there would be an accurate record in the county of where these HMOs are sited, which is important to us at the county council in terms of providing services.

"We understand how important this subject is to our residents and it is important we have accurate information to enable us to serve people in the best way possible."

HMOs - also known as houses in multiple occupation or house shares - are properties where three or more people from different households live together and share amenities like the kitchen and bathroom.

Asylum accommodation is just one of their many potential uses, but under national planning rules, only those HMOs with seven bedrooms or more require planning permission from the relevant local authority - in Lancashire’s case, the dozen district councils or the standalone authorities in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.

Smaller HMOs are deemed ‘permitted development’, meaning they do not have to go through the planning system - and so no record of their creation exists.

However, councils can opt out of that arrangement by establishing an ‘Article 4 direction’, which requires permission is sought for HMOs irrespective of their size. Preston City Council currently has such a rule in parts of its patch and is planning to extend it significantly.

Separately, County Cllr Atkinson suggested to the BBC that something akin to the Nightingale hospitals seen at the height of the pandemic could be quickly developed as alternative asylum housing.

“I’m sure we have enough land on military bases etc. to create Nightingale accommodation where these people can be taken while they’re processed,” he said.

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

Asylum seekers are provided with different types of accommodation depending on the stage of their claim

Under the current system, initial accommodation - usually normally in the form of hostel-style residences - is used to house people who have been awarded “subsistence” support, while their application for longer-term housing and help is determined.

Once a person has been granted broader asylum support, they are eligible for what is known as ‘dispersal accommodation’ until shortly after they receive a final decision on their asylum claim. This is normally provided within private dwellings in local communities.

The system, introduced in 1999, means asylum seekers are offered accommodation on a ‘no-choice basis’ across the UK in order that they can be widely distributed around the country.

However, the government has become increasingly reliant on ‘contingency’ asylum accommodation - like hotels - over the last five years.