Portland not the right place to be homing all of these people, say protesters

The Bibby Stockholm barge will house 500 asylum seekers.

Rival protesters argue in Portland in Dorset after the Bibby Stockholm barge arrived (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Wire)

Protesters waving placards gathered at the gates of Portland Port to show their opposition to the arrival of the Bibby Stockholm barge.

Watched over by a small number of police officers, the group shouted chants against the vessel which will house 500 asylum seekers.

Local resident Kelvin Thomson said that he feared for the safety of women living in the area with the arrival of “bored single men”.

He said: “It’s a fear for the ladies of the island, the young girls and boys, with the influx of 500 very bored men with nothing to do.

“They are young men which frightens me a lot. I fear for my daughter, I have been on Amazon buying sprays and alarms.

We are struggling to get doctor's appointments, we can't get a dentist appointment and we are bursting at the seems and Portland Port have no consideration to that all

Protester Lisa Black

“My concern is nothing to do with racism, it’s just what are 500 bored men going to do with next to no money?”

Lisa Black said: “My feelings on the barge is Portland Port have done a shameful act in doing a deal with the Government with no consultation, no consent, no consideration at all for the people of Portland.

“We are struggling to get doctor’s appointments, we can’t get a dentist appointment and we are bursting at the seems and Portland Port have no consideration to that all, they are just going to bring a barge in with 500 people on it and they are going to have access to our doctors and our dentists and we can’t.”

Lorraine Beckett said: “It’s not the right place to be homing all of these people and it’s not right for Portland because we do not have the infrastructure on the island for the extra people coming in so that’s why I feel strongly by it.

“I think it should be located perhaps in cities and not on such a small island where there are just 13,000 people.”

Chantelle Warren, from nearby Weymouth, said: “I don’t think Portland is the right place for 500 men to come, they are going to have massive cultural differences to the people that are here, it could potentially not be good at all.

“If you need a dentist you can’t find one, I think it’s going to be too much of a stretch on local resources, when places like London and Liverpool have said no because they don’t have the infrastructure why are they putting it here?”

Rocco Holly-Nambi, director of local arts group B-Side which runs an arts festival which has a theme of migration this year, said she welcomed refugees but believed the barge was not the correct way of housing them.

She said: “We are in support of welcoming refugees on Portland but we think the barge itself is a problematic vessel to house people who have been through trauma.

“Our position based on the kind of research we have done is that they should process people’s claims quicker and in the meantime to house people on land in a dignified and hospitable way.”

Dorset Council has agreed a one-off funding payment of £377,000 to set up activities and volunteering opportunities as well as English lessons for those brought to the barge with an additional £3,500 per occupied bed.

Councillor Laura Beddow, portfolio holder for culture and communities, said: “It is essential that we can continue to meet residents’ needs while also providing new services for asylum seekers, without any additional pressure on local taxpayers.

“We have been working very closely with our partners, including Dorset Police and NHS Dorset, as well as with the Home Office and Portland Port to ensure robust arrangements are in place.

“This includes additional community safety officers in Portland and Weymouth, extending the operational hours of the CCTV in the area, providing safeguarding training for barge staff, and working in partnership with local voluntary and community organisations.

“The decision to site a floating barge in Portland Port for 500 asylum seekers was made by the Home Office and facilitated through a commercial arrangement with Portland Port. Dorset Council was not consulted and had no decision-making powers over this arrangement.

“From the outset, Dorset councillors have been clear about their concerns and opposition to the location of this scheme.

“The council explored options to pursue legal action to challenge the Home Office’s decision.

“Following specialist legal advice and the experience of other councils across the country, Dorset Council made the decision not to take legal action as it was unlikely to be successful and would incur high costs to local taxpayers.”

Portland Port states on its website that it received a confidential payment from the Government to provide berthing for the barge.

It says: “The port, which is a privately-owned business, also strongly believes that providing a berth for the Bibby Stockholm is the right thing to do.

“The Home Office approached Portland Port some months ago, initially through a ship’s agent, to enquire about berthing a vessel to house asylum seekers. The port did not approach the Home Office.

“The port has space, the capacity, infrastructure to support the Government’s requirements.

“It will allow the port and Dorset to play its part in the national effort to house some of the thousands of asylum seekers needing accommodation, including some who have left war-torn countries and the threat of persecution overseas.”