Refugees camp outside Berkshire council despite leave to remain

Ali Ibrahim has been sleeping outside the West Berkshire Council offices

Two asylum seekers who have have been granted leave to remain in the UK are sleeping in tents outside a council building.

The men - from Sudan and Syria - have been camping outside the West Berkshire Council offices in Newbury.

The pair said they had been left with no allowances and were given seven days to find a job and a place of residence.

Ali Ibrahim, who had fled war in Darfur, Sudan, said that all he wanted was "a place to stay".

Mr Ibrahim's permission to stay was granted a month ago but he had to leave the hotel where he had been staying, together with other asylum seekers, and his allowance of £7 a week was withdrawn.

West Berkshire Council has no homes available for the refugees and they are receiving meals from Newbury Soup Kitchen.

Mr Ibrahim said he was told to "go to a local charity to get the tent".

Reem Gabriel, local resident and freelance interpreter said: "He's here every day, he goes in every day, and they say there's no place for him.

"And they get an appointment for the job centre for Universal Credit support, but they say to them 'We cannot give you any benefit unless you have a place to stay.'"

Ali Ibrahim's permission to stay was granted a month ago but he had to leave the hotel where he had been staying for more than a year

The Home Office said pressure on the asylum system "has continued to grow".

"Individuals will still get at least 28 days to move on from accommodation and where an individual has not had a BRP [Biometric residence permit] card issued within the 28 day notice period, they remain on support until it is issued," it added.

West Berkshire Council said it was "working hard" to find suitable accommodation and wanted to "ensure the encampment outside the council office doesn't increase in size".

"All requests for housing support were processed in the same way for fairness and could take time because of pressure on the local housing supply," it said.

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