The Home Office has purchased marquees to accommodate 2,000 migrants at disused military sites by the end of August, according to Sky News. The tents will be erected in the coming weeks in preparation for an expected increase in Channel crossings. Border Force predicts that the next three months will see the highest number of small boat journeys, similar to last year. The Home Office is taking this measure to avoid the need for last-minute expensive hotel bookings for migrants. The use of marquees is part of a larger strategy to find new accommodation for asylum seekers and reduce the daily costs associated with housing them in hotels. An initial group of 50 single men will soon be relocated to the Bibby Stockholm barge, which is docked in Portland Port in Dorset. The number of asylum seekers on the barge is expected to increase to 500 in the coming months.
While the government’s use of marquees and other temporary sites has been criticized by refugee charities for not meeting the needs of vulnerable individuals and posing safety concerns, Conservative MPs in areas where these facilities are being established are also concerned about the impact on local services such as police and healthcare.
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