Points to Ponder

[SteveH]

Asylum hotel closures may shift cost to councils, councillors warn

Local authorities may have to house migrants in the very same hotels the government has announced it will no longer use, councillors have warned.

The government plans to end contracts with 50 hotels housing asylum seekers by the end of the year.

Official figures show hiring these hotels cost the taxpayer ?8m a day.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, the Local Government Association (LGA) said this cost may pass to councils, who are required to house refugees in need.

Shaun Davies, chairman of the LGA, said councils were legally obliged to find somewhere to stay for the large numbers of refugees representing as homeless after leaving hotel accommodation when their asylum application was processed.

"We've got a housing shortage, we've got a huge demand on temporary accommodation, and we've got councils in financial strain," Mr Davies, who is also a Labour councillor, said.

cont  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67212103

[Helig]

The situation may be far worse than this potentially. There was coverage of the whole process on a TV news programme recently. The spokesman stated that when the claims for asylum are processed, those who are given asylum in the UK will no longer qualify to live in the temporary accommodation provided by the government. The responsibility will then fall on councils to house them. Given there is a severe shortage of temporary and permanent housing in the UK, this will only make matters far worse.

In Dumfries and Galloway reports are that there is a huge burden of work on social services by the illegal immigrants who have been sent here. The council's social services department is said to be under massive pressure with staff being unable to cope with it. I don't know who pays for the costs of employees being fully occupied with this work. Is it the council (which is Council Tax Payers) or the government?

[SteveH]

Scampton asylum plan could cost ?260m over 3 years

The cost of housing asylum seekers in a former RAF base in Lincolnshire could reach ?260m by 2026, a leaked government document shows.

Ministers have argued placing asylum seekers on sites like RAF Scampton would be cheaper than using hotels.

But a Home Office memo written just days before plans were announced found the change only represented "marginal" value for money over three years.

The Home Office said the plan "cuts the burden on the taxpayer".

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67313584

[Hugo]

Suella Braverman under fire after vowing crackdown on tents and claiming rough sleeping is ?lifestyle choice?

Perhaps she has plans to put them up in hotels and give them free accommodation, free food, heating, mobile phones, NHS, bus passes and money like she does for the illegals who are in the UK 


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/suella-braverman-tents-homeless-lifestyle-b2441565.html

[Helig]

Yes, it is one law for them and another for us. I know of someone locally who has been put out of his home by his wife. I gather there is no chance of a reconciliation. He is homeless but cannot get even temporary accommodation from the council. They have told him he will be put in B and Bs but this will mean moving round them staying one or two nights in each. He has lived in the area all his life and has paid taxes all his life too.  In contrast the illegal immigrants (many of whom claim to be minors) are housed in decent hotels and guest houses, fed, clothed, get healthcare, given all the perks such as smart phones, travel passes, money to spend and more. They have never contributed to anything in this country and I doubt they ever will.

[Hugo]

I don't want to rub it in but prisoners in jail and these illegal asylum seekers if they became ill, would be seen by a GP before a member of the public    They seem to have Human rights that Joe Public doesn't  have.
All this talk about the delay in processing the asylum seekers claims, but no talk about the delay in deporting them.    If the Asylum seekers are here much longer some of them will qualify for an OAP!         

[Helig]

They will be even more of a drain on us if that happens. The ones that have been sent to live up here are mainly young men, no more than 25 years of age. Many of them are claiming to be 16, or under, usually under saying they are 15. They look older than that. The reason for this is they get more favourable treatment from the authorities. I read in the paper yesterday that our population has increased by 2.4 million in the last 2 years. This is from illegal immigrants, 1 million, and those who applied for visa which was 1.4 million. No wonder the services in the country are collapsing.

[Ian]

No wonder the services in the country are collapsing

.

The statistics suggest otherwise.

[DVT]

Statistics are purely a tool to prove whatever it is the surveyor wants it to prove.

[Hugo]

That's very true DVT        At the moment 67.33 million (2021) people are living in the UK according to these statistics but I don't think that even the Government believe that that's true.    It has to be a lot higher.
Apparently some of these illegal migrants come in with no papers and claim that they are 15 or under as apparently they have more chance of staying in the UK.    The trouble then is proving that they are not the age that they have claimed.   

[Hugo]

It may be many years overdue but I was pleased to hear that Leasehold reform was part of the King's Speech this week
King Charles has announced that a Leasehold and Freehold Bill will ban leaseholds for new houses, but not new flats, in England and Wales, and increase the standard lease extension period to 990 years.

It's outdated and belongs to feudal times but sadly it also happened in Llandudno Junction in recent years when Beech Homes sold their houses leasehold.    The buyers were given the right to purchase the freehold for an additional sum of about 3K but Beech Homes then sold the leasehold on to a company but when the house owners asked  about buying the lease they were told that the price had shot up to 15K
Anwyl Construction is building an estate on part of Bodafon Farm but I don't know yet if they are selling the houses freehold or leasehold but I have a good idea knowing that Mostyn Estates is involved in all of that

[Helig]

Regarding the ages of illegal immigrants, I read there is a plan to do MRI scans on the ones who claim to be under 16 years of age. It seems that the MRI scan can identify features which will identify their age. The problem I foresee will be the use of the MRI scanners which already have long waiting lists in NHS hospitals. Could it be they will use private facilities?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-office-to-introduce-scientific-methods-for-assessing-the-age-of-asylum-seekers

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mri-knee-scans-for-migrants-who-say-that-theyre-under-18-nvvccmg22

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12509257/Channel-migrants-tests-determine-age.html

[SteveH]

Ministers have drawn up large benefit changes for people who are unable to work due to health conditions, the BBC has learned.

The changes, affecting hundreds of thousands of people from 2025, would save ?4bn from the welfare budget.

The proposals would see many more people forced to find work despite suffering from a range of physical and mental health conditions.

The Department for Work and Pensions said reform would be gradual.

The proposals follow the announcement in March that the government wants to scrap the controversial Work Capability Assessment, which is used to determine if people can receive additional benefits payments due to a health condition.

Eligible claimants currently receive ?390 a month on top of their universal credit payment.

If the proposals are enacted, people who, for instance, are in severe pain while awaiting an operation or have some mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, may not receive the additional payment but would be expected to look for work.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67385385

[Helig]

It sounds a lot like Arbeit Macht Frei to me. The situation surrounding the illegal immigrants, costing us c?8+ million a day, would be more than enough to fund decent benefits for those with significant health problems.

[Ian]

Almost as bad as the promised 350m quid extra for the NHS if the country voted Leave...