There has been a lot of discussion about Serco properties in Bassetlaw. Serco is one of the organisations that the previous Government contracted to provide accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers in 2019.
Under the current system, the local Council is not consulted when Serco buys or rents a property for asylum accommodation. They do not meet with MPs. Local councillors, the MP, and—most importantly—residents are kept in the dark. When Serco does engage with a local council, they only supply the first four letters of the property postcode, covering a huge area. This is unhelpful and completely unacceptable.
I want to be clear that the local Council does not provide accommodation for people seeking asylum. Local families are not being pushed down the housing list to make room for refugees. This is about Serco buying up properties or renting them from private landlords.
I am regularly contacted by residents asking whether a particular property has been repurposed for asylum seekers, most of this is rumour rather than facts and I am also having to play catch up with the system. I am deeply concerned about the lack of transparency and local control. This is not about prejudice, but about fairness. Asylum dispersal properties and hotels are predominantly in the north, the midlands and the inner cities where housing is cheaper. Where is the asylum accommodation in Mayfair, Kensington or Chelsea?
It’s time for the Government’s contract with Serco to be ripped up.
But there is a deeper issue here too: the lack of local control over where Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are located. There has been an increasing number in recent times and in my view, this is due to the last government making it easier for properties to be converted without going through a planning permission process. Regardless of who is living in them, this damages the social fabric in close-knit communities where neighbours know and trust one another.
I am campaigning for Bassetlaw District Council to issue what is known as an Article 4 Directive for our towns. This would mean that conversions to HMOs would require full planning permission. It would not ban HMOs outright, but it would ensure local people have a say through the usual planning process.
It’s now clear that the law also needs to be strengthened. The previous government watered down the regulations, and it is time to restore national control. I am campaigning to change the law, and I will keep you updated on progress.