The United Kingdom government’s controversial use of former military bases and a barge to house asylum seekers is set to cost more than continuing to use hotels, a public-spending watchdog said Wednesday.The finding, which undermines the official basis for using the sites, comes as ministers grapple with how to reduce the spiralling costs of housing the growing backlog of more than 100,000 asylum seekers.
The politically potent issue has proved a persistent headache for Sunak as he prepares to call a general election later this year.The growing number of migrants landing on the shores of southeast England in recent years has prompted the interior ministry to increase its use of hotels for housing, leading to escalating costs.
In a bid to lower the bill, the ministry has turned to converting former military bases and leasing an accommodation barge called the Bibby Stockholm to house asylum seekers.But in trying to “rapidly” switch to these “large sites” it had incurred unnecessary costs, as well as risks, and ultimately failed to reduce the eye-watering spending totals, the NAO found.
“It appears inevitable that, collectively, these early sites will now cost more than the alternative of using hotels.”The NAO noted that set-up costs had far exceeded estimates, with refurbishment bills for two former military sites surging from £5 million each to £49 million for one and £27 million for another.