Asylum seekers are being housed in £300,000 three-bedroom contemporary townhouses in a village in Suffolk – to the fury of local residents.
The four conjoined properties are furnished with en-suite bathrooms, sleek kitchens and state-of-the-art amenities including underfloor heating and electric vehicle charging points, The Sun reported.
According to promotional materials, the homes are ‘nestled in the tranquil and sought-after village’ and ‘designed for modern living and comfort, providing ample space and eco-friendly amenities’.
Representing ‘a perfect blend of modern design, comfort, and sustainability’ the houses are said to offer ‘a serene living experience’.
The sales brochure concludes: ‘With their eco-friendly features and thoughtful amenities, these properties are an ideal choice for those looking to embrace a green lifestyle in a peaceful, community-oriented location.’
Asylum seekers living in the properties are doing so rent-free – with expected rent in the area of around £1,200 for a home of this size.
Instead the houses have been leased by public services firm Serco under a contract with the Home Office.
It is believed thus far only one family has moved into the townhouses, and that they arrived by a legal route not by a small boat.
Asylum seekers are being housed in £300,000 three-bedroom contemporary townhouses (pictured) in a village in Suffolk – to the fury of local residents
According to promotional materials, the homes are ‘nestled in the tranquil and sought-after village’ and ‘designed for modern living and comfort, providing ample space and eco-friendly amenities’
While the decision to use the townhouses to accommodate migrants was hailed as a success by one local councillor, who claimed the community had responded ‘very positively’, the reaction of locals appears to tell another story.
‘It’s all just happened without us knowing about it. Our opinions don’t seem to count,’ Clive Bloomfield, 62, a lifelong resident of the village, told the newspaper.
He added that many people were struggling to get on to the property ladder but were overlooked by the local authorities.
Indeed, many residents in the village questioned why the homes were not offered to locals on the housing list – although the government does have a legal requirement to accommodate asylum seekers while they have their claims processed.
According to the latest data from Suffolk council, there were nearly 800 people waiting to apply for council or housing association homes in 2024.
Susan, 64, said: ‘We’re paying for all of this. Why are we working hard for asylum seekers to just get everything for free?’
Mother-of-two Laura Garland, 40, added that there were many British-born taxpayers in the UK who were unable to get housing – adding that the local community had been ‘kept in the dark’.
However, not all of the village’s residents were against the use of the development to house asylum seekers.
The four conjoined properties are all furnished with sleek kitchens
Lizzie Simmonds said herself and her mother had been providing the village’s new arrivals with basic supplies and said migrants deserved the opportunities the UK could offer.
The move comes as home secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029 in ‘a controlled and orderly way’.
However, former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer this week warned that the issue will continue to be a vote-winner for Reform UK unless the government accelerates the speed with which asylum seekers are moved to alternative accommodation.
Labour has been accused of using the courts against the British people after a judge ruled asylum seekers can stay in a migrant hotel.
In a victory for the Home Office, the Court of Appeal overturned an injunction ordering the removal of migrants from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.
MPs and the local council reacted furiously, with Reform leader Nigel Farage saying illegal migrants now had more rights than Britons under Sir Keir Starmer.
The Home Office said: ‘At its peak, less than two years ago, there were 400 asylum hotels in use at a cost of almost £9million a day.
‘We have taken urgent action over the past year to fix that system, doubling the rate of asylum decision-making, and reducing the amount of money spent on asylum hotels by almost a billion pounds.’
Serco have been approached for comment.
