3,000 asylum seekers 'could be living on barge and ex-military sites by autumn'
Around 3,000 asylum seekers could be living in former military sites and on a barge by the autumn in a Government bid to cut back on using hotels.
The Home Office has said accommodation is set to be at ex-military sites Wethersfield in Essex and Scampton in Lincolnshire, with around 500 migrants to be housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge – which was met with protests when it arrived in Portland earlier this week.
When the first group of asylum seekers will take up residence on the barge has been thrown into doubt, with officials unclear on an exact timescale.
Earlier this week, the Home Office said around 50 people would arrive "from next week", with numbers gradually rising over the coming months.
Facing questions from reporters on Friday, officials refused to specify a date or confirm if there had been any further delays to the plans, instead insisting the arrivals would be in the coming weeks.
Last week, the Home Office announced the first asylum seekers had moved to a disused airfield at Wethersfield.
But Braintree District Council and a nearby resident are bringing legal action to challenge the decision to house up to 1,700 men there.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman's plans to house up to 2,000 men at former airbase RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, with initially 200 people arriving at the site, are also facing a similar challenge from West Lindsey District Council.
Sir Edward Leigh, a Conservative MP in Lincolnshire, has on numerous occasions criticised the choice of RAF Scampton to house asylum-seekers.
On Twitter, he said: "The Home Office said it is still working on developing the site and is yet to confirm when it will open.
"The Home Office should accept our advice that Scampton is too complicated a site to house migrants temporarily. We want to advance instead the £300-million regeneration deal which will unlock the economic, cultural, and historic potential of the site and its skies.
He added: "We have a funded, commercially viable, and deliverable plan for the future of RAF Scampton."
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