‘Forcing destitute people into debt’: Government condemned over plan to charge asylum seekers for accommodation
Shabana Mahmood has announced that asylum seekers could be charged up to £10,000 for their accommodation
The home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s plan to charge asylum seekers up to £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation has been condemned by Refugee Action, and other migrant groups.
Mahmood told Politics UK yesterday that asylum seekers will be made to “repay this country’s generosity” by contributing towards the cost of their asylum support and accommodation.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill, to be introduced today, will give the Home Office powers to recover costs from asylum seekers.
Under the measures, asylum seekers will be required to pay off the full amount they owe before they are eligible to settle in the UK permanently.
This comes after the government spent £4 billion on housing refugees last year.
Reacting to the announcement, Refugee Action said that the plan will force “destitute people into debt”.
In a statement, Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: “This plan is little more than a government shakedown of refugees so it can pay for its own waste and incompetence.
“Instead of forcing destitute people into debt, Ministers must stop paying billions to private housing contractors, and lift the ban on work so people who are able can start to rebuild their lives.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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