Last asylum seekers living on Bibby Stockholm set to leave barge

The past asylum seekers surviving connected the Bibby Stockholm are acceptable to permission the barge.

A radical of 8 remaining men volition permission the accommodation moored successful Portland, Dorset, connected Tuesday, according to a enactment group.

A spokesperson for Portland Global Friendship Group told the PA quality agency: “We held our past assemblage drop-in yesterday. We person been saying goodbye to the men for months arsenic determination has been a continual question since the men archetypal arrived successful August past year.

“We proceed to enactment galore asylum seekers nationwide from the Bibby Stockholm remotely arsenic they navigate the analyzable asylum process.

“Portland Global Friendship Group has created a meaningful assemblage present connected Portland, astatine its essence is friendship, kindness and compassion. We are considering however this vigor tin proceed going into the future.”

Hundreds of residents person departed from the barge aft the Government said it would not renew its declaration which expires successful January.

One asylum seeker antecedently told PA that “everyone was happy” that the barge accommodation was shutting down truthful that different radical volition beryllium saved from going done the aforesaid acquisition connected the vessel helium described arsenic sometimes feeling similar a prison.

Labour has said continuing the usage of the Bibby Stockholm would person outgo much than £20 cardinal adjacent year, and that scrapping it forms portion of the expected £7.7 cardinal of savings successful asylum costs implicit the adjacent 10 years.

The asylum seekers accommodated connected the barge, who were each men, were being dispersed to accommodation successful places including Cardiff, Wolverhampton and Bristol, according to the BBC.

None of them volition beryllium moved to the Dorset Council catchment, which includes the country astir Portland and Weymouth.

The Bibby Stockholm, which tin location up to 500 people, has faced a bid of setbacks since it was commissioned successful April 2023.

The find of unsafe bacteria led to its evacuation past summertime conscionable days aft the accomplishment of the archetypal asylum seekers, and it remained vacant for 2 months.

An Albanian asylum seeker, Leonard Farruku, who died portion surviving connected committee the barge successful December, is thought to person taken his ain life.

Labour MP for South Dorset, Lloyd Hatton, had welcomed the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge successful his constituency.

He said: “We each cognize this barge was a gimmick.

“First it arrived late, 2nd it outgo the payer a fortune.

“Third it was laden with occurrence and illness risks, and 4th it apt contributed to the decease of a 27-year-old asylum seeker connected board.”