The decision to accommodate 60 (plus) persons seeking asylum in Burton upon Trent was made by the Home Office and its asylum accommodation providers Serco in response to significant pressure on the national asylum system. Ordinarily, Burton upon Trent and Staffordshire is a non-dispersal area for these purposes. This situation is an exception.
This is happening across the country, and not just in Burton upon Trent, as the Government tries to uphold its obligations under the Refugee Convention and continues to process claims for both individuals and families awaiting a decision on their asylum claim at this current time.
Local partners were not consulted on this decision and on the evening of Wednesday 4th August 2021, an order was made directly by the Home Office to help facilitate asylum dispersal across regions which included the IBIS hotel, Derby Street, Burton upon Trent. This was with a view to starting dispersal on Friday 6th August but a go-live date is yet to be confirmed.
Partners met with the Home Office and SERCO at 9am on Friday 6th August. At this meeting, the Home Office and Serco began extensive operational discussions with representatives of both Councils, the local Clinical Commissioning Group, Staffordshire Police and the West Midlands Strategic Migration partnership.
It is understood, accommodation (and three meals per day) has been procured at the IBIS hotel in Burton upon Trent as a temporary emergency centre for three months. There is expected to be a churn of asylum seekers during this period. This accommodation enables the Home Office to carry out its statutory obligations to house asylum seekers.
The residents will be new arrivals into the UK coming from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Vietnam and Eritrea.
There is no requirement for asylum seekers to be routinely tested however anyone entering the UK who is demonstrating symptoms of Coronavirus are being isolated in sole-purpose accommodation for the required period in line with Public Health England (PHE) guidance. Testing will also be conducted on day zero and the third day of arrival at the hotel. Anyone displaying symptomatic cases whilst in the hotel will be segmented where possible with separate rooms in line with the PHE guidance.
The decision to accommodate persons seeking asylum in Burton upon Trent is a temporary measure and will be under regular review by the Home Office and local partners.
The maximum number of rooms at the Hotel is 68 for the asylum seekers. This will include a mixture of single people and families.
The Home Office’s ‘Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility’ (AIRE) provider gives all asylum seekers accommodated at the hotel advice on asylum support and associated Covid-19 guidance. They are signposted to a 24-hour freephone number they can contact if they need assistance or guidance. AIRE are provided with all of the current process, policy and health guidelines and immediate access to service providers for escalation. Working closely with the Home Office’s Asylum Safeguarding Hub all asylum seekers have access to health care as required.
The local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be considering the impact of the dispersal on its local primary care services. Similarly, so will Staffordshire Police and both councils.
In line with PHE guidance, asylum seekers will be permitted to leave their accommodation. Information will be provided to them in a number of different languages to explain rules around adhering to social-distancing and where demonstrating symptoms will be required to self-isolate for the recommended period.
Serco are providing staff to provide appropriate 24-hour on-site cover to ensure the safety of residents.
On arrival, individuals will be given an induction and provided with written guidance on adhering to self-isolation and are expected to comply accordingly.
Partners across Burton upon Trent will continue to meet with the Home Office and Serco to review the situation and learn more including when the go-live date commences. Beyond the three months use of the IBIS hotel, it is understood Burton upon Trent and Staffordshire will revert to being an area for non-dispersal of asylum seekers.
Councillor Bernard Peters, Deputy Leader for Community and Regulatory Services, said: “This sudden, unexpected development and change to agreed Home Office procedure is far from satisfactory given Burton and Staffordshire is not a dispersal area for asylum seekers. But in the short term I know local partners with support from elected members will do their best to support the new residents located at the IBIS hotel over the next three months as well as any impact on the community. No doubt there will be a strain to our public services for this short period."