RLA : RPI : Friction continues over asylum seeker housing

News from the Residential Property Investor, the bi-monthly magazine for RLA members

other artilces from the June / July 2000 issue

Friction continues over asylum seeker housing - June / July 2000

Provision of housing for refugees is continuing to cause friction between local and central Government and private landlords.

In Liverpool MP Louise Ellman is demanding explanations from immigration officials after it was claimed 600 asylum seekers had been housed in an 'uninhabitable' tower block in Everton sold by Liverpool Council to a private landlord some eight years ago.

Meanwhile Pendle Council is campaigning to be told when asylum seekers are housed in its area, claiming provision of private accommodation by 'profit-seeking' landlords is damaging housing renewal projects.

The Council says it believes 80 asylum seekers will be housed through the management company Clearsprings and that 40 may already be in the area.

'These people are arriving in an distressed state and we have a whole range of services we could offer to help them, but we have not even been told what is happening', said Pendle director of services John Kirk. 'East Lancashire has a lot of cheap housing which has been earmarked for regeneration, but if private landlords buy up properties to make a quick profit out of housing asylum seekers, it is hard to see how that regeneration will take place'.

In Northamptonshire police have been asked to step in over an alleged fraud that appears to have netted over £400,000 for those involved in a deception involving provision of private rented accommodation to phantom asylum seekers. Three council officers have been suspended while a dossier compiled by the county council's internal audit department is investigated.

other artilces from the June / July 2000 issue