Bibby Stockholm was 'never going to work', MP says

The Bibby Stockholm will start shutting down at the end of November, with its government contract officially ending in January

Using a barge to house asylum seekers off the south coast was "never going to work", an MP has said.

Moored off Portland in Dorset since July 2023, the Bibby Stockholm has housed a number of men awaiting the outcome of their asylum claims.

The closure of the barge was recently announced, with those on board soon to be "dispersed across the country", according to the Home Office.

Lloyd Hatton, Labour MP for South Dorset, said the barge had caused local residents a lot of anxiety and frustration.

Some locals were concerned how the island's services would cope with the barge

"It was very much kind of thrown on us at the last minute and there was no real transparency about the way the barge was installed," Mr Hatton said.

"We all knew right from the start this barge was never going to work and that it was going to cost a fortune."

Everyone on the barge had been provided with "adequate, functional accommodation", the government said

The Bibby Stockholm was introduced under the previous Conservative government as a temporary home for up to 500 single adult male asylum seekers.

Home Office documents claimed it was a "cost effective" alternative to using hotels, which had been costing £6 million a day.

The barge has faced opposition with some islanders holding protest rallies and complaining they had not been consulted about the plans.

Many Portland residents feared the impact 500 asylum seekers could have on the island's already-stretched healthcare services.

Others said they felt Portland had been treated like a "dumping ground".

Mr Hatton said his main focus, following his appointment as the area's new MP in July, had been to close down the "unworkable, unaffordable and unfair" scheme.

"I think the fact that, working with the Labour government, I have been able to get rid of the Bibby Stockholm barge has broadly been received as a good thing for the area," he said.

None of the asylum seekers would be moved to Portland, Weymouth or the wider Dorset Council area once they leave the barge, the Home Office confirmed.