A council has told the government it has serious concerns about asylum seekers' impact on community services as 400 stay at two hotels in Derbyshire. The Derby and Derbyshire NHS integrated care board has also said that it will monitor the pressures which may be placed on local healthcare infrastructure such as GP surgeries, reports Derbyshire Live.
Hundreds of people hoping to settle in the UK from abroad are currently living at two hotels between Long Eaton and Sandiacre, with residents of the two towns saying they do not feel safe on the streets. On Wednesday, November 2, around 80 residents packed themselves into a small village hall for a Sandiacre Parish Council meeting to express their fears over a situation that they said was “dangerous” and “getting out of control”.
Now, the leader of Erewash Borough Council has raised concerns about the high number of people living in temporary accommodation at the two hotels. Councillor Carol Hart said: "Erewash Borough Council is aware that people waiting for a decision on their asylum claim are currently being housed in emergency accommodation in the borough.
“The accommodation - the Novotel Hotel and the Best Western Hotel on Bostock Lane - has been organised by the Government Home Office and their accommodation partners SERCO, and not by Erewash Borough Council, though we are doing everything we can to help both the local community and the asylum seekers.
“The council, along with partner agencies, has written to the Home Office to express serious concerns about the use of a second hotel in close proximity to house asylum seekers as this is likely to have a detrimental impact on the already limited local and vital services in the community. The council will be monitoring other local authority legal challenges and will review its position if necessary.”
Derbyshire County Council has also expressed concern about the Government's strategy. Its letter also includes input from the region's integrated care board (ICB), formerly the county's clinical commissioning group (CCG), suggesting the proposal would place strain on local health services.
A spokesperson for NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB said: "NHS Derby and Derbyshire is a strong supporter of a fair and effective asylum system, with the local NHS playing its part in providing care for asylum seekers and refugees. It is also appropriate that the Integrated Care Board monitors the pressures which may be placed on the local NHS infrastructure and makes representations to agencies on these matters where we have concerns about the impact.
"The ICB has recently been a partner in correspondence sent to the Home Office on the deployment of the asylum settlement arrangements in the Erewash area."
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