Corby MP Lee Barron welcomes Serco's halt on asylum accommodation procurement in town

Lee Barron, MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, has welcomed confirmation that ‘active procurement’ of dispersal accommodation within Corby for people seeking asylum in the UK has ‘ceased’.

In a response from Serco Ltd (the government agency that houses asylum seekers) to an email from Mr Barron, the agency acknowledged ‘specific concern’ regarding the amount of asylum accommodation in Corby.

The issue has been a hot topic in the town with concern that HMOs have been switched from use by residents to those looking to move to the UK.

There are currently 745 asylum seekers accommodated across North Northamptonshire, of whom 465 are housed in Corby, with the current ‘Service User Demand Plan’ for the authority’s area at 846 people.

Mr Barron said: “I’m pleased that Serco have recognised the specific concerns in Corby and have confirmed to me that active procurement of dispersal accommodation within Corby has ceased.

“The asylum system must be fair and functional, with councils working closer with Serco to ensure fairness across towns and regions.

“Any system that sees thousands of people around the country unable to contribute while waiting long periods of time for a letter about their future, is a broken one.

“The system works neither for the British people nor the individuals who are reliant on it for sanctuary and safety.

“This Government is making huge steps forwards in solving this problem, asylum decision making is at a 24-year high, with the number of people waiting for a decision falling by 72 per cent since 2023.

“Returns for people with no right to be in the UK is at a 10-year high, and we continue to work to fix the chronic problems within the asylum system.

“For those with the right to refugee status in the UK, I know that Corby is a massively welcoming place, and as long as the system is working fairly, Corby continues to wrap its arms around those in need.”

A response from Serco to Mr Barron stated the Corby area was close to reaching the numbers which had been planned for the town.

Serco said: “With the area now close to this planned level, procurement activity is being carefully controlled to remain in line with the plan targets. We recognise the specific concern regarding the concentration of accommodation in Corby.

“This issue has previously been raised by local stakeholders, including North Northamptonshire Council, and in response active procurement activity within Corby has ceased.”

Since 2022 the Home Office has operated a policy of ‘full dispersal’, which means that every local authority nationally is considered as a dispersal area.

Full dispersal is operationally delivered via the Asylum Accommodation Plans, which set out the total numbers of asylum seekers that should be accommodated in each local authority as an ‘equitable proportion’ of the national demand.

The introduction of full dispersal has meant that a much higher number of local authorities now accommodate asylum seekers than previously when hotels were used.

Corby has been used for asylum seekers due to the ease of obtaining properties - many were already converted into HMOs.

Serco said: “Some areas are considerably more difficult to procure properties in than others due to factors such as local housing market conditions, property availability, rental costs, competition within the private rented sector, landlord willingness to participate in the scheme, and whether available properties meet the required contractual and accommodation standards.”

Serco will now be looking at other areas of North Northants to use for accommodation.

Setting out the process Serco said when it identifies a property for potential procurement, the relevant local authority is notified through a consultation process.

The local authority then provides supporting information and evidence, including from statutory partners such as police and health, so concerns can be appropriately considered.

In addition to the formal consultation process, Serco holds regular meetings with North Northamptonshire Council through established multi-agency forums.

Serco added: “We value the positive working relationship already established with North Northamptonshire Council and will continue to work closely with colleagues through our existing communication channels to ensure local considerations and any emerging concerns are appropriately discussed and taken into account as part of the accommodation procurement process.”