Worcester: Plans to house more asylum seekers

Worcester City Council's plans come under Home Office efforts to stop housing asylum seekers in hotels

Homes are set to be found for about 60 new asylum seekers in Worcester as part of government plans.

Worcester City Council is helping private company Serco to find 106 bed spaces by the end of 2023.

But recognising issues finding accommodation in rural areas, the criteria changed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

It meant Worcester would instead be expected to accommodate up to 66 people, according to a council report.

The Home Office wrote to local authorities in April and said it was working to eventually stop using hotels to house asylum seekers.

Locally, there are currently 115 living in one such premises, the council says.

Its report added that to provide the 66 spaces, about 20 homes - likely to be houses of multiple occupation from the city's 8,700 privately-rented properties - would need to be made available.

Serco was awarded the contract to organise the government's "Asylum Seeker Dispersal Programme", LDRS said.

Serco would pay the cost of housing and supporting the asylum seekers as part of the contract and the government said it would pay £3,500 per bed.

But the report said the city council did not know the cost to the authority in helping the newcomers integrate and live in the city, or the cost of supporting them should their applications be rejected.

Councillors are set to discuss the report on Wednesday.