Housing asylum seekers in less affluent areas has resulted in "civil unrest," acknowledged Anna Turley, Labour's borders minister, on Wednesday. She stated that placing migrants into cheaper housing has had a "huge impact" on communities.
Turley insisted that the responsibility for housing asylum seekers must now be shared by more affluent areas, echoing calls for all parts of the country to "play their part." She emphasized the need for a "fair and equitable system" for distributing asylum seekers across the nation to mitigate the burden on local communities.
Her comments come as the government plans to house 1,200 migrants near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington, which has a population of only 400. Residents of Piddington have reportedly voted to stage a symbolic referendum on leaving the UK in protest of the plans.
"What we've seen in the past is places like Blackpool, and other communities around the country where housing is perhaps cheaper and more plentiful, have had to take more than their fair share of asylum seekers," Turley told the BBC. "That's put a huge burden on local communities and created real civil unrest, so we want to make sure that we're managing the system much better in a more sustained way that's reducing the impact on local communities."
The Prime Minister previously stated that arrivals would not be placed solely in the "poorest communities." Under Home Office plans, a former military base in Bicester is slated to accommodate 1,250 male asylum seekers.
Regarding the Piddington site, Turley clarified that asylum seekers would be housed on a "self-contained site" within the former military base and would be "managed" and "contained," though they would be allowed out. "They will be allowed out, but everything they need will be on that site. So they will be managed. They will be contained," she said. The Home Office minister added, "They're on a self-contained site. We are looking at former military bases around the country. We know where people are. We can manage the system."
When asked if she would support a similar influx in her own Redcar constituency, Turley responded that while they do not have a former military base, "the reality is it's about fairness."
Andy Burnham commented on the Oxfordshire protests, stating he would "listen to what people are saying and respond to the concerns that they are putting forward." He acknowledged that the situation would be challenging but affirmed his commitment to working with people and addressing legitimate concerns. "I do have to say, we cannot have a situation where it's only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers. I do believe all parts of the country need to work, to play their part," Burnham said.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the plans, suggesting they would unfairly impact the middle classes and expressing concerns about potential criminal activity among asylum seekers.