Wealden Councillors Agree On Plan To House Asylum Seekers

Wealden council leaders have backed plans which could see up to 115 asylum seekers living within the district by the end of next year. 

On Wednesday (October 12), Wealden District Council’s cabinet formally endorsed the South East Regional Asylum Plan, a document drawn up in response to government plans to spread responsibility for housing asylum seekers across all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. 

As part of the government’s plans, the south east region has been told to expect to provide accommodation for up to 7,200 individual asylum seekers by December 2023. 

The plan endorsed by cabinet (drawn up by the South East Strategic Migration
Partnership) seeks to set out a ‘fair and equitable’ share of this number for each individual local authority to take in.  

Cllr Ray Cade, Wealden’s cabinet portfolio holder for housing, said:

“This government initiative is not unexpected. As most of us recognise, due to the significant and sustained increase in asylum numbers over the last year a limited number of local authorities are taking the brunt of the responsibilities for housing asylum seekers waiting for their applications to be dealt with.

“The report highlights that there are 25,000 asyulum seekers currently living in temporary accommodation, such as hotels. It is fair this responsibility is shared across all local authorities nationally, as it is essential these families are treated with dignity and consideration.”

Cllr Cade went on to say that Wealden has been allocated 115 of the 7,200 asylum seekers expected to be housed within the region by December 2023. Over the very long term, the plan puts Wealden’s maximum number at 800, as this would be equal to one asylum seeker for every 200 residents. 

The council itself would not be required to find homes for individuals or families placed within its area. That responsibility falling to a Home Office contractor known as Clearsprings instead. 

However, Cllr Cade warned that this system could see difficulties given what officers described as ‘a significant and worrying’ shortage of rental housing in the district.

He said:

“The dispersal scheme is not without difficulties for Wealden District Council, as  Clearsprings represents a competitor in an already challenging private sector rental  market. 

“This could make it even more difficult for us to secure private rented properties for our own needs. Clearly this is a developing situation.”

Initially, the council will receive £3,500 from government for each individual asylum seeker placed within its area. This funding would be used to commission support services, but is set to dry up in March 2023.

As a result, cabinet members agreed to lobby for long term funding as part of their endorsement of the asylum plan.