Open letter to Dorset MPs from NO TO THE BARGE GROUP

We write on behalf of thousands of concerned residents of Portland and neighbouring communities regarding the imposition of the Bibby Stockholm barge and its five hundred plus intended asylum seekers among a small population of just 13,562 residents.

We are a collective group of professionals and residents who are aligned to drive a reinvigorated and loud call to action at the parliamentary and national media levels.

So far, there has been an unforgivable absence of any meaningful dialogue or consultation with our community prior to the Home Office (HO) and Portland Ports Ltd. entering into a contractual agreement to berth the Bibby Stockholm in Portland.

This, in many ways, was a last minute, disorganised, haphazard, and clandestine scheme that has been conceived and thus far implemented, causing confusion, concern, and utter distrust among us residents.

The overwhelming concern was captured succinctly by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, during his recent visit to Portland and Weymouth.

He referred to us as “deeply hospitable, welcoming, generous, and compassionate” and then stated, “But they can’t be expected to be when something is just done to them, not with them; that is the biggest problem.”

He went on to say that “it would put a strain on already stretched voluntary groups in the area, and it is taking people for granted and not good enough.”

We contend that us residents have not been consulted, and this is done without our consent.

The primary concerns of the people, of whom we represent and are a part, relate to the following:

1. Lack of suitable infrastructure, and limited services in the area.

2. NHS services beyond capacity, with residents facing unacceptable waiting times. There has already been confirmation that no GP will be on the barge, therefore the asylum seekers will have to access local GPs.

3. A fundamental failure in evaluating and considering the impacts and effects that this secretive scheme will have on the community, as there appears to have been no impact assessment or similar work carried out.

4. Lack of any meaningful dialogue, consultation, and/or community engagement prior to concluding the agreement between the Home Office and Portland Ports Ltd.

5. Lack of funds for volunteering, and cultural and religious amenities for 500+ men from various backgrounds. Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, has stated that many could be victims of torture and war, and we ask where is the mental health funding to support these men?

For context, and as we are sure you will be aware, Portland sits in the bottom 10% of the index for ‘Multiple Deprivation for England’, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

It is thus utterly incomprehensible that Portland was even considered a suitable location to house 500+ single men.

A similar proposed scheme for the Port of Birkenhead with a local population of 331,000 - a staggering 23 times bigger than Portland - has been dropped by the Home Office, as the Port operator stated that it could “not see any conceivable scenario” in which public services would be “able to provide the necessary support” for refugee accommodation in the Birkenhead area.

This begs the fundamental question: How can Portland, with a mere 4% of the population of an already discounted similar scheme, be deemed suitable or viable? Why can the already stretched services, local resources, and amenities of Portland, which can barely support a population of 13,562 residents, be deemed appropriate, while Birkenhead, with a population of circa 331,000 residents and scaled up infrastructure, cannot?

As you are aware, the London Royal Docks and Plymouth have equally refused to house accommodation vessels, citing inadequate local services, infrastructure, and suitability. Portland and Dorset councils appear to be somewhat naive in believing they can do something that much larger authorities clearly cannot.

The decision to impose this scheme is both wrong for our community and for the proposed residents of Bibby Stockholm. We collectively ask you to implore the Home Office and other elected MPs to listen to the people you represent, and to their concerns and arguments that justifiably say NO TO THE BARGE.

It is not acceptable to your constituents and should thus not be acceptable to you as the standing MPs to figuratively roll over and look at mitigation for this shameful enterprise, one that only serves the owners of a private port. We ask that you argue strongly and with us that this be reconsidered by the HO and withdrawn on the grounds of total unsuitability and unviability on so many levels.

We ask that you consider the democratic values of consultation and consent rather than this totalitarian one. In order to assist in this process, we have attached the latest results of an ongoing online survey that highlights the opinions of thousands of residents and local stakeholders, along with further background information. We would respectfully request an urgent meeting with you to discuss this further with our representative group within the next 48 hours.

We wish to draw your attention to the fact that this open letter is also being provided to local and national media.

NO TO THE BARGE Campaign Group, and residents of Portland and Weymouth