Braverman urges council to prevent asylum flats plan

Former home secretary Suella Braverman has urged a council to buy an apartment block in her constituency to stop the government using it to house asylum seekers.

She has started a petition calling on the Conservative-controlled Fareham Borough Council to purchase Wates House in order to block her former government department from using the site.

But the council, which has already told the Home Office the property an "inappropriate location" for the plan, said the cost of buying it could not be "justified".

The Home Office said it does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be used to accommodate asylum seekers.

In a video posted on social media, Fareham and Waterlooville MP Braverman said she had received "many messages" from constituents who "are really worried" about the plan for Wates House.

"I have the same concerns as you do about the proposal... it would be wholly inappropriate for this to happen and pose a risk to public safety," she commented.

She urged the council to "do the right thing" and lease or purchase the property for "local housing needs".

"In Fareham alone there are over 1,000 people on our housing waiting list, and there's no reason why Wates House couldn't be used by those people," she said.

Simon Martin, leader of Fareham Borough Council, said the authority previously considered purchasing the flats in early 2024 but "withdrew from the deal due to a number of reasons, including grounds of safety and construction quality".

"Since the renewed interest from the Home Office we have again assessed the situation, however the cost of spending a very significant amount of money cannot be justified," he said.

"If the council were to take this approach to buying a building every time the Home Office identifies a potential property in Fareham, would she [Mrs Braverman] suggest we purchase that as well?"

Addressing previous questions from Mrs Braverman over the proposed use of Wates House, Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle said the government had "inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain".

"For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers," she added.

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.