Spending Watchdog: Home Office Spends £15 Million on Contaminated Asylum Accommodation

The Home Office spent £15.4 million to purchase a disused prison that was later found to be unfit for conversion into asylum accommodation because of asbestos contamination, according to the independent public spending watchdog.

The department had bought HMP Northeye in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, with the intention of transforming it into housing for approximately 1,400 male illegal immigrants through a combination of new constructions and renovations.

Auditors noted that the department hurried the purchase due to political pressure to cease housing illegal immigrants in hotels.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, stated that the “rushed and misguided decision-making led to the Home Office overpaying for an unsuitable asylum accommodation site.”

Clifton-Brown added that the Public Accounts Committee would investigate further to prevent recurring errors and wastage of public funds in future acquisitions.

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Auditors revealed that after the Home Office was first informed of the potential use of Northeye in May 2022, it initiated negotiations with the site’s owners, Brockwell Group Bexhill Limited Liability Partnership.