The placement of asylum seekers into communities is decided by national government.
Asylum accommodation in Portsmouth is commissioned by the Home Office and managed by companies on its behalf. Portsmouth City Council has no say over who is placed in the city through the national asylum dispersal scheme. Council policies can’t change this.
The Home Office runs a national scheme to distribute people seeking asylum across the country. The Government website has statistics on the number of people seeking asylum housed in different regions and council areas.
Portsmouth has a housing crisis and already more than fulfils its share of people seeking asylum. So we expect government to look at other areas before placing more people in Portsmouth.
The Home Office has housed people seeking asylum in Portsmouth and other towns and cities for decades. Originally, this was using a range of homes within the community as dispersal accommodation. More recently, the Royal Beach Hotel has been used too for extra capacity, which the Home Office calls contingency accommodation. The Royal Beach Hotel is the only hotel being used in Portsmouth and is used for family accommodation.
Current national Government policy means the Home Office houses some people seeking asylum in Portsmouth. The Home Office has no legal obligation to notify the council about new properties being used.
We aim to work with the Home Office and its agents to make sure this is managed in the best way for everyone in our community. The Home Office’s agents contact operational teams with questions about properties they are considering. While we don’t decide on the placements of asylum seekers, we have been clear that we should be notified of any properties planned for use and this should be sent to a designated senior officer.