MP hit outs at Tory 'incompetence' as asylum seekers housed in Shropshire hotels
MP Helen Morgan has hit out at 'Conservative incompetence' for creating chaos in the migration system which has led to asylum seekers being put up in hotels in Shropshire.
The North Shropshire MP criticised the Government’s lack of consultation and said Conservative policies were failing communities and failing asylum seekers.
Ms Morgan argued that under the Conservative government, the backlog of asylum seeker cases had trebled in three years from 45,000 to 143,000.
In 2015, 78 per cent of asylum applications (26,000) were completed within six months but in 2021 the figure was just seven per cent (3,600).
As a result, Ms Morgan asserts, the Government has run out of appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers and is now spending taxpayers’ money on renting out hotels.
This includes a hotel in the Oswestry area which the Home Office has hired, without consulting residents, Shropshire Council, local services or the MP. Another hotel in Shrewsbury has also closed its doors to the public to provide accommodation to those seeking asylum in the UK, asking paying guests to leave mid-stay.
Ms Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said Shropshire’s local services are already under serious pressure, with ambulance delays and hospital waiting lists among the worst in the country.
She said: “Services are already under intense strain in North Shropshire and adding to this pressure is not fair on local communities or on the asylum seekers who will be living here.
“This is a direct consequence of the Conservative Government’s incompetence which has allowed a huge backlog of cases to build up.
“Conservative failures mean the backlog of asylum cases has trebled in just three years and now taxpayer money is being spent on renting out hotels instead of on processing cases. Once again, ordinary people are paying for the price for Conservative mistakes.
“The Government has added to the chaos by failing to communicate with local bodies that are now having to devote precious resources to preparing for their arrival. I was only informed of the decision once it had already been made.
“I am particularly concerned about the impact on the local health system and emergency services and I have made this clear to the Home Office.
“I have also been in contact with the hotel in question to discuss the impact on staff and I am calling for all employees to keep their jobs.”
The proposed Liberal Democrat policy would see the Home Office stripped of its powers, with a new dedicated unit established to handle asylum applications, which the MP argues would remove the need for money to be spent on hiring hotels in places like Shropshire.
