Home Office plans to QUADRUPLE migrant HMOs in Breckland

Minutes of a behind-closed-doors meeting between Norfolk councillors and government officials reveal the department has a target of increasing the number of migrants living in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in Breckland by 77pc.

Civil servants said that there were currently 56 beds available in HMOs for migrants in the district but that they wanted to increase this number to around 240.

The revelation comes as the Home Office continues to pursue separate plans to house around 1,250 asylum seekers at RAF Barnham, which is around a mile from Breckland's border.

An aerial view of RAF Barnham (Image: Mike Page)

Local politicians have reacted with fury, accusing the government of attempting to impose a "double whammy" on the area.

Scott Hussey, a senior Reform councillor on Norfolk County Council and Breckland District Council, said the move would "pour fuel on the fire" in the area, which has already seen tensions over the use of HMOs for migrants.

The Home Office did not state where in the district it planned to house asylum seekers in HMOs.

Breckland contains five towns, Thetford, Dereham, Attleborough, Swaffham and Watton.

In two of these, Thetford and Watton, there has already been clashes and protests over asylum seekers being housed in local HMOs.

In a third, Dereham, there has also been long-standing concerns over the use of a HMO hotel in the heart of the town which locals say has contributed to crime in the area.

Police officers outside an HMO housing migrants in Thetford, where there were clashes with local demonstrators (Image: Scott Hussey)

Hotel NR19 in Dereham, a large scale HMO which has attracted huge controversy in the town (Image: Newsquest)

Sam Chapman-Allen, the Conservative leader of Breckland Council, has also repeatedly raised concerns about the way the Home Office disperses migrants in the rural district and has described the process as "completely unacceptable".

Tensions over migrant accommodation in the district have been most heightened in Thetford, which is the nearest town to RAF Barnham.

Last month, disorder broke out over three consecutive nights after crowds of locals gathered outside HMOs being used to house asylum seekers.

Amid riotous scenes, police were forced to escort migrants from the properties.

The growing use of HMOs and military bases to house asylum seekers is part of efforts by ministers to reduce the use of migrant hotels, which were costing the government up to £8m a night.

The prime minister said he wants "all parts of the country" to "play their part" (Image: Nigel French/PA Wire)

Andy Burnham, the new prime minister, has said he wants "all parts of the country" to "play their part" by accepting migrants in their area.

In the private meeting, Home Office officials said that HMO usage in the Breckland was "an area that we're looking to grow”.

Other districts of Norfolk were not discussed.

"[The current usage] is 23pc towards the target for Breckland," the officials said.

"We have a target for every local authority to achieve fair dispersal across the country. We are somewhere below where the target would normally be for Breckland."

Mr Hussey, who was present during the meeting, said: “This is a double whammy for Thetford and Breckland.

Scott Hussey (Image: Reform UK)

"Not content with trying to turn RAF Barnham into a near-permanent super camp for illegal immigrants, the Home Office now admits they've only just got started with their programme of housing migrants in houses.

“Thetford has already taken the lion's share of migrant houses and will likely see many more.

“Other towns won't be untouched either - there have already been protests in Watton and Thetford over this.

“The Home Office will just be pouring fuel on the fire if they press ahead with Barnham and an accelerated programme of housing young, single, undocumented men into the heart of our communities.

“All of this has happened with no public consultation whatsoever - no wonder people are angry and frustrated.”

Mr Chapman-Allen, who has led Breckland Council since 2015, said “Central government’s policy of placing asylum seekers into communities without proper consultation, adequate infrastructure or the necessary support services is completely unacceptable and must change.

Sam Chapman-Allen (Image: Breckland Council)

Locals protested migrants being moved into a HMO in Watton earlier this summer (Image: Supplied)

“For months, I have challenged a national system in which decisions affecting our towns and villages are taken behind closed doors, with little transparency and no meaningful voice for the people expected to live with the consequences.

“Breckland Council will not stand silently by while decisions are imposed on our communities.

"We are demanding a fundamental change in national policy, full transparency over how and why sites are selected, and proper consultation with councils and residents before any decision is taken.

"Breckland’s communities deserve better, and I will continue to fight for them and put Breckland first.”

Terry Jermy, MP for South West Norfolk, which covers much of Breckland, said: “I have consistently been against the use of HMOs and have called for the Home Office to stop this practice.

Terry Jermy (Image: Terry Jermy)

"I continue to hold that view and have reiterated this to the Home Office and Government Ministers repeatedly. 

“More widely, I very much welcome the progress the government is making in relation to reducing immigration, with small boat crossings at their lowest level in six years, and summer small boats crossings falling to their lowest level in seven years.” 

A Home Office spokeswoman said:  “The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms. That is why we are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites.

"We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, engaging with local authorities to reduce the impact on communities."