Asylum Seekers' Stretch Limo Transport 'Deeply Inappropriate' But Home Office Denies Taxpayers Paid For It
Home Office Denies Daily Mail Claim About Asylum Seekers' Stretch Limo
Jack Sommers— The Huffington Post UK
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It was "totally inappropriate" to transport asylum seekers in a 16-seat stretch limo from London to Manchester, the Home Office has said.
But the government department denied a Daily Mail report that taxpayers would have to pay £3,000 for the trip, saying Serco, the contractor charged with moving asylum seekers, had taken responsibility for the move.
According to The Mail and The Sun, the stretch limo arrived in Longford, a village on the outskirts of London near Heathrow, where asylum seekers are housed while their applications are considered.
It transported seven men, believed to be from Africa, from the hotel they were being put up in to Manchester and the driver told locals his bill was being paid by the Home Office. A pub landlord told the Mail: "I thought it must be a stag do."
According to Serco, the limo was only used once at the beginning of July.
Asylum seekers are normally transported in minibuses. HuffPost UK understands that Serco contracted out some of the transport at the time due to the numbers travelling.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Our contractors are responsible for arranging the transport of asylum seekers and bear the cost of doing so. However, this incident was totally inappropriate and Serco has apologised.
"The terms of our contract with Serco requires them to take all reasonable steps to ensure transport is appropriate. We have reminded the company of their contractual obligations and expressed our strong disapproval.
"There was no additional cost to the taxpayer.”
Jenni Halliday, Serco’s Contract Director for Compass, said: “The transport provided, on this one occasion in July, was clearly inappropriate.
"We have apologised to the Home Office and our internal processes have been changed to ensure that this will not happen again."
A Look Inside a German Refugee Center
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Torn protest poster on the door to one of the three story buildings which houses hundreds of refugees. There are three identical buildings in the complex, each at capacity. The protest successfully resulted in much needed infrastructure improvements. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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Kosovar refugees Alija and Mahi Berisha, stand in the one room apartment they shared with their five children for four years before being transferred to a two-bedroom apartment. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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Resident recently lobbied to have the watch guard and much of the barbed wire surrounding the complex removed, arguing the unnecessary security bordered on incarceration. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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Stacks of shoes line the halls and stairways on every floor. Shoes take up valuable floor space and are only brought in at night for theft prevention. The sheer number of shoes on display is a stark reminder of the quantity of people living in Gemeinschaftsunterkunft. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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Young residents peer out from their one room apartment. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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A building identical to this one was recently demolished, the entire complex is overcrowded and was at the time of demolition. (credit:Riley Arthur)
(07 of13)
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Standard sized studio apartment in Gemeinschaftsunterkunft. (credit:Riley Arthur )
(08 of13)
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A young Kosovar father, 29, asks: "Where will the girls sleep when they are bigger?" His family is seated on the couch where his daughters sleep. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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Mahi Berisha, 46, stands in the shared kitchen which faintly smells of a mixture of different cuisines. (credit:Riley Arthur)
Front gate of Gemeinschaftsunterkunft refugee center in Schwäbisch Gmünd. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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Toys resting on what little space is left in the small room they occupy. (credit:Riley Arthur)
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Egzon Berisha, 16, kicks the crumbling pavement. A broken rusting playground shows the center was once a more welcoming place for young people. (credit:Riley Arthur)