>

Asylum seekers could be housed in Rutland ex-military base

By Evie Payne 11th Apr 2023

Normanton church, Rutland Water, UK. Image credit: Nub News.
Normanton church, Rutland Water, UK. Image credit: Nub News.

Rutland could see 2,200 immigrants housed at St George's Barracks, near North Luffenham.

Ex-military bases across the UK are being considered as housing alternatives for asylum seekers by the Home Office, it has emerged, as PM Rishi Sunak vows to end the housing of approximately 51,000 refugees in hotels.

According to The Times, officials at the Home Office are looking to locate at least 25,000 migrants in disused crown properties, including one in Rutland.

The North Luffenham location would be one of the largest sites proposed, in one of the smallest counties.

Some Rutland residents have taken to social media, highlighting that the move would be provide "value for money - use the excess government property that allows them safety and the ability for border force to process them as quickly as possible."

Others, however, have said: "we have the elderly that have served their country that are sat at home worrying about turning the heating on or using electric. Isn't it about time we looked after our own!?"

St George's Barracks is set for closure in 2026, and could house 2,200 immigrants and would cut the cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels, a bill currently totalling £6 million per day.

What do you think?

Share your opinion by clicking the 'Nub It' button at the top of the page or write in by emailing [email protected].

We look forward to hearing from you.

     

New oakham Jobs Section Launched!!
Vacancies updated hourly!!
Click here: oakham jobs

Share:


Sign-Up for our FREE Newsletter

We want to provide oakham with more and more clickbait-free local news.
To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following.
Help us survive and sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter.

Already subscribed? Thank you. Just press X or click here.
We won't pass your details on to anyone else.
By clicking the Subscribe button you agree to our Privacy Policy.