More information has been sought following the news that the Home Office had supposedly dropped plans to house 3,000 asylum seekers in Merseyside.
The ECHO has previously reported on plans to house 3,000 asylum seekers at Pontins in Ainsdale, with Sefton Council claiming that the government had indicated it would not be taking the plans any further. Despite those claims, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick claimed a decision on whether to stop the use of Pontins as a site for asylum seekers rests with Sefton Council.
Southport MP Damien Moore called on Sefton Council to "publicly state as soon as possible that they are axing the Pontins asylum seekers plan. The Tory MP added: "I have done all I can to oppose these plans in Westminster, and I urge the council to use this clarity I have today achieved in parliament to immediately state that they will not proceed with housing asylum seekers at Pontins.
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"I have written to the council to ask that they immediately and publicly confirm their position on this matter, both to the Home Office and to our town. People are understandably worried, and it is not right that the council keep them waiting any longer."
Now, Sefton Council leader Ian Maher has hit back with a scathing statement. He said yesterday (Wednesday, February 8): "It is disappointing to see Southport’s Tory MP making misleading comments about this process, which is about finding shelter for people who have in many cases been forced to risk their lives fleeing conflict and persecution.
"Sefton Council has a long history of welcoming people in these circumstances to the Borough and supporting them and as a result when consulted by the Government’s about its plans to use Southport Pontins we gave it full consideration.
"We raised a number of issues with the Home Office which included expressing concerns about the additional pressure the site would place on our social services which, as a result of over a decade of Government underfunding and the effects of the COVID pandemic, are already under extreme pressure. We were informed some days ago by the Home Office that it had abandoned its plans for Southport Pontins. However, we are still awaiting confirmation in writing of this decision.
"It has been a complex issue and we assumed the Home Office decision was the last of it, so I was surprised to hear Damien Moore making contradictory comments this week.
"This Government needs to get a grip on its broken immigration policy rather than have a Conservative MP trying to implicate others for his Government’s own failures."
A government spokesperson said: "The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels due to the unacceptable rise in small boat arrivals and our commitment to accommodate those from Afghanistan. We, therefore, continue to look at all available options to source appropriate and cost-effective temporary accommodation."
Damien Moore was approached for comment.
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