The value of the new asylum housing contracts over 10 years is more than double the £150m-a-year cost of the existing contract when it was first awarded in separate lots to G4S, Serco and Clearsprings in 2012. The improved contract follows trenchant criticism from the Commons home affairs select committee in a report 10 months ago which branded conditions in asylum housing “disgraceful” after reports of infestations of mice, rats and bedbugs. The management of the asylum housing contracts has attracted national controversy, with issues including some asylum seekers being required to wear coloured armbands in Cardiff and their homes being easily identifiable because their front doors were painted a uniform red. Local capacity to support asylum seekers, familiarity with community cohesion and proximity to local authorities and voluntary groups are listed as some of the key considerations. The number of asylum seekers whose cases were officially regarded as “work in progress” rose from 37,381 in 2012 to 77,440 in 2016.

Source: The Guardian November 23, 2017 19:30 UTC