Stockton North Labour MP Alex Cunningham has demanded the Home Secretary stick to her word and not increase the number of asylum seekers accommodated on Teesside.
His letter follows the proposal that one of the Conservative Government’s asylum seeker accommodation barges announced by the Prime Minister yesterday will be based at Teesport. This is despite clear commitments to North East local authorities from Ministers that no additional asylum seekers would be housed in the region until other areas meet their requirements.
Alex said:
“The proposal to moor an accommodation barge at Teesport flies in the face of the commitment given from Ministers to local authorities in the North East that the North East would not take on additional asylum seekers while other areas are still “under quota”.
“The North East and Teesside is a welcoming region with our people, charities and organisations providing all manner of support to some of the most vulnerable in society – and often stepping in when Home Office provision falls short. Our local authorities also play a major role in ensuring people are supported and looked after and not one has shirked their responsibilities but services in areas like ours are already very stretched and it would not be appropriate for hundreds more people being moved to a barge on the Tees.
“I will be writing to the Home Secretary asking that she stick to her commitment to the North East not to increase the asylum seeker numbers further in our area by siting asylum seeker accommodation on the Tees.”
