“In the meantime, due to the unprecedented demand, we have had to use temporary accommodation such as hotels to manage demands on the asylum estate,” they said.Īlliance MLA Stewart Dickson hit out describing the Councillor Collins’ comments as “inaccurate and unhelpful”. “Our Nationality and Borders bill will fix this broken system to deter these dangerous and illegal crossings. “The asylum system is being exploited by criminal gangs who facilitate dangerous, unnecessary and illegal small boat crossings,” he said. In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph a Home Office spokesman referred to a bill making its way through parliament which will make knowingly arriving in the UK without permission a criminal offence. "Having legitimate concerns is not the same as being racist so don't judge anyone if they are worried or concerned about what's going on.” He said: “I am all for helping those who need help when they truly need it but there are questions that need to be asked around this situation. “What happens if a crime is committed while in the town?” he asked. He raised questions around whether those who are being housed should be in quarantine after travelling from a “red list country”, were background checks carried out on them and whether they have any criminal history. “Why can’t our homeless veterans be put up in hotel accomodation until a home is found for them? Why can’t working class families who are struggling to stay above the breadline be provided with their food and drink free? Why is it we can do this for visitors to our country but we cannot do it to support our own people? and yet none of this help is ever afforded to them. Mr Collins said: “In our own daily work we come across so many local families and individuals who are in crisis, homeless, relying on food banks, etc. When contacted by the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Hilditch declined to comment. Mr Collins said he was raising the issue along with MLA David Hilditch after receiving queries from “a lot of concerned residents” in recent days. The hotel is not expected to be open to the public until September 1. It is thought 30 asylum seekers are housed at the hotel, owned by the Loughview Leisure Group, for the next three to four months.
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