RE: Why will they not tell7 Sep 2024 05:47
Right on m door step while we have many English born people without a permanent home
The cost of furnishing flats for asylum seekers cannot be released because the issue is too “sensitive”, a watchdog has ruled.
John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, has ruled in favour of the Home Office, which refused to reveal the cost of furnishing a block of flats to be used by 346 asylum seekers in Farnborough, Hampshire.
He rejected an appeal to release the information under freedom of information (FoI) laws, saying the public interest in revealing the cost to the taxpayer of the furnishing was outweighed by the need to protect the asylum seekers from protests and risks to their “health and safety”.
The apartments were allegedly finished with flat-screen TVs and satellite television.
Lee Anderson, the Reform UK MP for Ashfield, criticised the decision and said he planned to raise it in a parliamentary debate on immigration next week. He added: “The real risk is to the taxpayer, who is spending millions of pounds per day on people that should not be in the country.
“The fact that the Home Office and Information Commissioner are hiding or suppressing this information is a kick in the teeth for every single hard-working taxpayer in this country. They should have this information. I think they are probably embarrassed about the cost of it.”
‘Targets of reprisals or reactions’
James Cleverly, when he was home secretary, paused plans to move asylum seekers into the flats after a local backlash. It was claimed that, on the open market, the flats would have cost £1,400 a month to rent.
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