Email thread shines light on Home Office immigration plans
Declaration of Dumfries has been provided with clarification regarding the nature of asylum seekers expected within the DG1 area of the town by Mears Group, a company currently undertaking a 10-year UK government contract to house asylum seekers in Scotland.
An Acquisitions Officer working for the large housing and social care provider responded in connection with a Mears advertisement (pictured) looking for landlords with ‘5+ bed’ properties. You could be forgiven for thinking that the contractor, and by extension the UK and Scottish governments, were expecting to house families escaping conflict from around the globe – a charitable venture to be congratulated, although it will not be lost on anyone that that same altruistic establishment’s funding and unwavering support for such conflicts is creating the need for thousands to flee such warzones in the first place.
But this does not seem to be the case. The email conversation was quite revealing with regards to the types of properties that the Home Office is seeking to rent within Dumfries, which in turn tells us the types of people to be expected.
Below is an excerpt from that email thread:
Mears Acquisitions Officer
Landlord
Mears Acquisitions Officer
Landlord
Mears Acquisitions Officer
A House in multiple occupation (HMO) License is required for “. . . a property rented out by at least 3 (unrelated) people who share the bathroom or toilet and kitchen. It can also be known as a house share.”
It would seem that Mears, and hence the UK and Scottish governments, are not expecting much in the way of families when it comes to those seeking asylum in Dumfries, but are concerned instead whether potential housing meets the licensing requirements for strangers living together in single occupancy accommodation. If anyone is wondering why refugee accommodation appears to be distinctly lacking in children, females and families, here we have somewhat of an explanation, and judging by the Mears Acquisition Officer’s responses they are not expecting that to change anytime soon.
So, apparently the ‘steady stream’ of fighting-age, single males will continue until at least the end of this decade, regardless of any concerns anyone might have, and no matter how legitimate those concerns may be.
Our public servant overlords know best.
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