Council may make profit from asylum seeker barge

The Bibby Stockholm first docked in Portland in July 2023

The council which housed a controversial barge for asylum seekers has said it "could be in a slight profit" once its contract ends.

Nick Ireland, leader of Dorset Council, said it received funds from the Home Office for the Bibby Stockholm, moored off Portland.

The BBC understands about 300 residents have been moved from the vessel and about 100 are still on board.

Mr Ireland said the barge will be empty by the end of November and if there is any surplus money then "we'll be trying to keep it, of course".

Taxis have been arriving at Portland to collect the men housed on the barge

He said: "I believe the Home Office are already making noises about trying to reclaim some of the money.

"The current contract for the Bibby, which obviously isn't being renewed now, ends in January and I can assure you we'll be trying to keep hold of any money that the Home Office wants to take back from us."

Mr Ireland confirmed none of the asylum seekers who have left the barge or are in the process of leaving will be relocated to the county of Dorset.

Campaigners helping the men say they have seen them sent to places including Cardiff, Wolverhampton, Bristol and Worksop.

The Bibby Stockholm first docked in Portland in July 2023 and was used to house male asylum seekers while they await a decision on whether they can stay in the UK.

It has faced controversy since it arrived in the area, with some locals on Portland claiming they had not been consulted.

"We never agreed to the Bibby Stockholm, we didn't want it there, it was the wrong solution to the issue we faced in terms of asylum seekers," Mr Ireland said.

In a previous statement, a Home Office spokesperson said: “This government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented strain, with thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed.

“We have taken immediate action to restart asylum processing which will save an estimated £7 billion for the tax payer over the next ten years, and are delivering a major uplift in returns to remove people with no right to be in the UK. Over the long term this will reduce our reliance on hotels and costs of accommodation.

“We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers.”