A small and remote seaside town with a housing shortage has been told it must find accommodation for up to forty asylum seekers in a move which has enraged local residents.
The tiny Cumbrian town is being told to use eight homes to house asylum seekers, with local police increasing patrols after the accommodation was vandalised.
Millom, a coastal community with a population just over 7,000, is looking to convert a number of properties into Houses of Multiple Occupancy.
The homes will be used to home around 40 overseas newcomers.
The homes will be used to home around 40 overseas newcomers
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The plan could leave developers pocketing annual returns of up to 15 per cent on their investment costs.
A terraced house, which often costs less than £100,000, was left with graffiti emblazoned across it following the announcement.
Large black letters drawn on one property spelt out: “Not welcome scum.”
Officers responded by ramping up patrols in the area and the local authority called for calm in the area.
The local council and mayor oppose the proposals due to the shortage of homes and infrastructure already facing existing residents.
Millom Mayor Simone Faulkner, who claimed there is an issue with limited social housing supply, told GB News last night: “We are fighting back. We went to our MP, Trudy Harrison, who has gone to the Government, the Home Office, to have meetings.
“Millom is a very small, isolated town, our infrastructure is poor, transport is poor.
“But what I think has created this high tension is that the community was not consulted by anybody.
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Millom Mayor Simone Faulkner joined GB News to discuss the issue yesterday
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“We just did not know that this was going to happen until the workers came in, started working on the properties.”
She added: “We, the town council, knew nothing about this until it came up on social media.”
Faulkner stressed Millom is a “compassionate” town and cited its decision to house Ukrainian refugees.
However, she stressed there had been little information about support or strategy.
Addressing concern about vandalism, Faulkner said: “The vandalism, the graffiti, I’ve never known it, I’ve been here for 22-years, it’s never happened before.”
Millom Town Council also issued an appeal for local people not to take the law into their own hands.
In a statement, they said: “We urge local people to uphold the law and let this be dealt with through the correct channels.”
The council added: “Millom Town Council would ask the community for this behaviour to cease whilst we progress this through the correct channels, with the support of MP Trudy Harrison, Cumberland Council and Cumbria police.
“We have identified several of the property companies involved and made representations to them as to why Millom is unsuitable and that the council will not support this unplanned approach and will do all it can to stop these developments until proper planning and consultation with the community has taken place.”
Millom has a number of terraced properties in the area
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Concern was echoed by Cumberland Council, with a spokesperson claiming: “We have raised concerns with Serco and the Home Office - and Serco have paused procurement of properties in Millom while these concerns are being considered.”
However, Rob Cartner, Cumberland Council's Resettlement Programme Manager, previously argued issues around infrastructure should be considered through a national lens.
He argued: “The council has limited involvement and influence on the procurement of of properties by Serco, however we have raised our concerns about the potential number of asylum seekers who may be placed in Millom, given its location and limited access to services.
“We recognise known pressures around GPs and dentists, however, this is an issue nationally and Serco may choose to continue with procurement in line with their contract despite the concerns we have raised.
“The council cannot veto locations or properties, but we have worked with Serco and Cumbria Police to suggest areas in Cumberland that are avoided due to crime rates, antisocial behaviour, hate crime etc in line with Serco's contract with the Home Office.”
A Home Office spokesperson added: “We condemn any vandalism in the strongest possible terms. We have always been upfront about the unprecedented pressure being put on our asylum system, brought about by a significant increase in dangerous and illegal journeys into the country over recent years.
“The Home Office has a duty to provide safe and secure housing for asylum seekers and we are continuing to work closely with local authorities in Millom, to manage any impact in the area and address the local communities concerns.”