In an attempt to reduce the £6 million-per-day hotel price for tiny boat arrivals, Channel migrants could be housed at a Pontins holiday camp.
The Home Office is in negotiations to rent an 820-chalet camp in East Sussex’s Camber Sands.
The 1968-built Pontins resort offers budget-friendly vacations only steps away from a five-mile-long Blue Flag beach.
The 32-acre property is a one-hour drive from Dover, where the majority of migrants from northern France arrive. A government source remarked, “This is one of the options being considered.”
The Home Office is in negotiations to lease an 820-chalet camp in East Sussex’s Camber Sands (pictured).
The 32-acre property is a one-hour drive from Dover, where the majority of migrants from northern France arrive.
It is thought that unused student housing and assets owned by the Department of Defense are being considered as alternative options. However, insiders refuted suggestions that many vacation camp sites would be operational as early as next month.
In addition to separate bungalows, the Camber Sands camp features two-story chalet blocks with accommodations for four to six people.
It is unknown how many migrants could be kept in the camp, but assuming each bedroom is occupied by a single person, the number could range from 1,000 to 1,600. Each cabin is equipped with a shower, kitchenette, and eating space.
There are a restaurant and a tavern on-site at Camber Sands, but they are likely to be closed if the facility is used to house migrants. Britannia Hotels purchased the Pontins business out of administration in 2011 for approximately £20 million.
The camp’s accommodation consists of two-story chalet blocks that sleep four to six people, as well as independent bungalows.
It comes after 555 migrants arrived in Britain despite the subzero temperatures over the weekend. Since the beginning of the year, 44,867 people have arrived in small boats, compared to 28,526 for the entirety of previous year.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman vowed last week to take “bold steps” to combat the Channel issue, after obtaining agreement from European governments for a broad crackdown.
On Thursday, she met with her European Union counterparts and agreed to a closer working relationship between the United Kingdom and Frontex, the bloc’s border agency.
Ministers also signaled greater action against social media corporations that allow human traffickers to place advertisements on their platforms.
And in a second key development, they signaled their support for an EU-wide migration accord — a measure that was rejected during the Brexit discussions.
At the Border Force processing site in Dover, individuals thought to be migrants disembark a boat.
It might pave the way for the United Kingdom to participate in an agreement to return asylum seekers to the Continent.
In response to concerns that Channel migrants are using Britain’s asylum and modern slavery laws, Mrs. Braverman has proposed sweeping reforms. The Home Secretary remarked last week, “From my perspective, we need drastic measures.” As the prime minister has stated numerous times, we will do everything it takes.
More than 40,000 Channel migrants, the majority of whom have claimed asylum, are being housed in hotels at a cost of over £6 million per day, or £2.2 billion per year.
In addition to the 40,000 asylum seekers, nearly 10,000 Afghans who have been relocated to the United Kingdom are also staying in hotels at a daily cost of £1.2 million.