With the daily lodging cost for asylum seekers in the UK over $7.5 million, a massive three-story houseboat arrived on Tuesday, May 9, to lodge at least 500 individuals.
The Bibby Stockholm was towed to Falmouth, Cornwall, where it will undergo refurbishment before continuing to its final destination in Dorset.
Earlier this month, the UK government revealed that it had rented a barge for 18 months in order to host 500 single adult males who would have unrestricted access to the area, which is a popular destination for tourists.
New Approach to House Migrants
On its website, the huge barge advertises itself as offering "luxury living," with Wi-Fi available everywhere and facilities including a complete gym with weights, cross trainers, and treadmills, as well as a gaming area with pool tables. Medical attention and round-the-clock security are also provided for passengers.
It has 222 rooms with private bathrooms, a gym, pool tables, and food service. Yet, it will be modified to hold up to 506 asylum seekers, who will likely have to share rooms with bunk beds and private bathrooms.
In a report by The Telegraph, people staying aboard the barge may leave at any time, but authorities will check up on them via phone if they do not come back to the vessel overnight. Those who are absent for longer than seven days, or 14 calendar days during a six-month period, are at risk of being terminated.
When full, it will cost around $31,500 per day, or about $63 per day per migrant, which is less than a third of the cost of housing them in hotels, as remarked by The Telegraph.
More than 45,000 migrants entered the UK over the English Channel last year. The government estimates that it costs at least $7.5 million per day to house them in hotels, according to the New York Post.
To save money for the British government and to prevent the UK from becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers in Europe, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has previously called for new approaches to housing migrants.
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Concerns Among Legislators
Members of Parliament (MPs) for Dorset, meanwhile, have said that they are contemplating legal action to halt the "inappropriate" proposal to put the migrants in a popular tourist spot that hosts cruise ships.
"What are the conditions going to be like in a barge with 506 young men from all over the world - some possibly disturbed mentally - couped up in a quasi-prison?" Conservative Richard Drax posed the question.
Dorset Council expressed strong opposition to the plans, citing concerns about the suitability of Portland Port in this context.
Portland Port Mayor Pete Roper, where the barge will be docked in the final days, has expressed growing concern for the women left on the island.
