Buying new asylum seeker housing in county paused

Campaigners previously said the area was unsuitable for asylum seekers

Buying houses for asylum seekers to live in has been temporarily paused in a county.

Government contractor Mears said it would not buy homes for asylum seekers in County Durham for three months, following internal discussions with the Home Office.

The Home Office said the decision had been made as it believed it had "sufficient capacity" in County Durham, while a Mears spokesperson said the "short pause" allowed time for "further engagement" with local stakeholders and to "reflect on lessons learned".

Durham County Council's Darren Grimes said Mears was "hoovering" up properties in the region's most deprived communities such as Ferryhill and Stanley.

The areas were "already stretched to breaking point," the Reform UK councillor said.

Reform UK said it hoped the temporary pause on buying new asylum accommodation in the county would lead to a "permanent freeze".

The party said Durham County Council had been the only local authority in north-east England where new asylum accommodation could still be bought.

Mears said that was because the council had only recently started housing asylum seekers, unlike the majority of councils in the North East which had "now reached capacity".

As of 31 March, there were 445 asylum seekers housed in County Durham, which is home to about 500,000 people, according to latest Home Office statistics.

Newcastle City Council, which covers an area home to about 300,000 people, houses just over 1,200 asylum seekers.

Mears said all property proposals were submitted to local authorities and the police to "ascertain any potential cause for concern".

It said the pause would not affect new properties which were already in the pipeline to house asylum seekers in County Durham.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The decision to pause is a Home Office decision, not a Mears Group decision. It has been made because we believe we have sufficient capacity in County Durham."