Residents on a Midland estate nicknamed 'Migrant Street' have been told to bring photo ID to a community meeting about plans to house asylum seekers in £250,000 new homes. The meeting, held on Thursday, July 2, at Stoke upon Tern Parish Hall at 6.30pm, is strictly for residents of Dutton Close and other areas of Stoke Heath in Shropshire.
MP Warns of ID Checks
Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard emphasised the meeting is "not a public meeting" and urged residents to bring photo ID as proof of address. He said: "There will be checks to ensure residents are prioritised." Pritchard added that Stoke Heath is a "completely inappropriate location for asylum housing on this scale given local public services are insufficient for such numbers." He called the lack of consultation by the Home Office and Serco "an insult to my constituents."
Fierce Local Opposition
The proposals could see 121 asylum seekers housed in newly-built homes on Dutton Close, which residents say were originally promised as social housing. The properties were completed more than a year ago, but the first families only moved in two weeks ago. One asylum-seeking family expressed unhappiness with the relocation.
Residents voiced worries, with mum-of-three Emma O'Sullivan, 30, saying locals had been "caught off guard" by the abrupt announcement. She said: "We were told the new development would be social houses which was fine but no-one moved in for a year. Now we're told they will be used for asylum seekers and they're not part of the social housing at all. We feel we've been lied to." O'Sullivan added: "I've got three teenage girls and we're really worried. It's not who they are, it's how many there are. It'll overload the infrastructure. There are only two primary schools in the area so even if they're all families that's going to flood the primary schools."
Government Strategy
The Government is pressing forward with its plan to eliminate migrant hotels by 2029 and rehouse individuals into "properties and ex-military sites." Around 21 newly-built homes on Dutton Close in the isolated village have been designated for as many as 121 asylum seekers.
Home Office Response
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are working to fairly disperse asylum seekers across the country, consulting closely with local authorities to further reduce our reliance on hotels and deliver better value for money for taxpayers, while giving control back to communities." The spokesperson added that the Home Office is developing a long-term, sustainable strategy for asylum accommodation.
