Government Plans for Housing Illegal Immigrants Would Cost £46 Million More Than Hotels: NAO

Housing illegal immigrants in barges and former RAF bases will cost £46 million more than using hotels, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). A report published on Wednesday said the Home Office estimates the cost of housing asylum seekers on sites including former RAF bases in Lincolnshire and Essex would cost £1.2 billion, which is £46 million more than if they used hotels. On Tuesday the government announced RAF Scampton, the former home of the “Dambusters” squadron, would be capped at 800, down from the original 2,000. By the end of March, the Home Office estimates it will have spent £230 million on four projects: RAF Scampton, the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset, a former student accommodation block in Huddersfield, and another derelict air force base at Wethersfield in Essex....