Once Upon A Time, I Worked In A Home Office Asylum Seekers Team .....

This started out as a little piece about Swedish immigrants, but that lot below plopped out ... "better out than in", as they say 👍

Contains references some may find upsetting

2001: I found myself working in a “NASS” Team:

🔗 National Asylum Support Services

NASS [later replaced by Asylum Housing] was a heavily funded Home Office contract to support & assist asylum seekers.

It utilised “hard to let” properties, owned by local government, to house asylum seekers. Some properties were actually due for demolition [but quite a bit of money was made on them first, courtesy of the Home Office] *

The NASS bible: The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

From Wikipedia:

The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c 33) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. It followed a 1998 government white paper entitled "Fairer, Faster And Firmer – A Modern Approach To Immigration And Asylum". Its main aim was to create a faster system to deal with a backlog of cases.

One of the most notable parts of the new law was to introduce the dispersal policy under section 95 of the Act. This system allowed for the creation of dispersal areas around the United Kingdom, where asylum applicants would be accommodated while their claims for asylum were reviewed. The Act provided for two types of accommodation, "initial accommodation", which was generally available for up to two weeks, and "dispersal" accommodation, which could be occupied for longer periods.

Plus the Asylum Support Regulations of 2000

…. I was “cherry picked” to work in the team

There were no adverts or interviews [recruitment process? Pfft] - I was asked verbally if I was interested & I accepted. My first thought being that I could do my bit to help desperate folks who's lives were possibly in danger. Secondly, I'd been doing the same job for about 9 years & felt it was time for a fresh start.

My first position with local government was with the Homeless Team. I was a manager of a domestic violence hostel for women. I applied for the job for a number of reasons, one being that I could do my bit to help desperate folks who's lives were possibly in danger [sound familiar]. Plus, I was a DV victim myself & so knew first hand what the women were going through. It also got me out of the house & away from my situation for 3 nights & 4 days in a row. Not a soul on earth knew about my life at home.

BOY did that job turn out to be not what I expected [I'll expand on this if the subject comes up in a SNUG chattette]. I honestly didn't think the same thing would happen twice. But …..

I was swiftly transferred over from a local government team to the Home Office contract team, & my eyes were opened quite quickly.

I was immediately sent on five different computer systems training courses [with a private company], 4 of them in 2 weeks. As soon as I settled into my new desk after the training I could see that the 3 teams who worked together were a carefully controlled machine [& extremely cliquey].

Coaches, buses & taxis [all contracted to the Home Office] were sent to various ports, towns & cities to collect the asylum seekers. This was coordinated & managed by staff from a temping agency [more cost] who's spreadsheets of asylum seekers’ names, their nationalities & any other relevant information, went on & on & on …..

The temps, the team I worked in, the case workers, selected neighbourhood office staff, plus various other departments, organisations & charities, were to be relocated & put together in a newly acquired & soon to be opened centre. It was specifically for asylum seekers & refugees, was located next to a school … & bollox to the concerns & opposition raised by local residents.

It was a shell of a building with bars already fitted to the outside of the windows [nice].

It didn't stay a shell for long as plans were well under way. Which included alterations & building works, decorating, furniture, equipment & stationary, re-wiring for electrics & computers etc etc. The furniture & equipment wasn't cheap. I know this because it was me who ordered it & was given the authority to also pay for it all out of the NASS budget. The running costs were also paid by the Home Office [& the utility bills, furniture, bedding, cutlery etc in the properties used to house the asylum seekers]. If staff wanted something - they got it.

The budget also paid for agency interpreters, who’s hourly rate was bloody ridiculous. Often asylum seekers would request a translator even when they could speak English. They'd pretend they couldn't understand as they knew that this enhanced their “vulnerability” status.

As a safety rep I submitted a health & safety inspection report for the building prior to a visit from the councils safety section. They were to give the ok for the centre to open on the scheduled [& heavily publicised] date.

The main recommendation was for a screen to be fitted at the reception desk [to protect staff]. This was frowned upon by the senior centre manager because he thought the reception should appear open, welcoming & friendly to visitors [asylum seekers]. This clearly took precedence over the safety of his staff. If I remember rightly, safety section insisted a screen be put up or the building couldn't open [🖕].

Once the centre was open to the public I noticed, very quickly, how many of the asylum seekers were young single men. There were even some pretending to be unaccompanied children, when they were clearly in their late 20s or even 30s.

There were not that many women. I especially remember hearing about one female who had to flee her country because she was homosexual. Police officers & soldiers had forced her to watch as they raped & then murdered her partner …… SHE was a refugee & a genuine asylum seeker.

As were the men who enquired when they could start working. They asked not because they were greedy. But because they didn't want to scrounge from the state, & actually wanted to pay tax. They were eager to put back into the system, to thank our country for saving them, as they were safe & no longer living without electricity &/or being showered with gunfire or bombs …. THEY were refugees & genuine asylum seekers.

Other things I saw or was told about during my time with the NASS Team:

• A member of staff, & former asylum seeker, was caught watching porn on a Home Office computer [always clear the browser history mate].

• A member of staff [possibly 2] used Asylum Seekers Centre/Home Office headed paper & their work ID to open a wholesale warehouse account

• Females - staff & service users - were sexually harassed by men using the centre: walking through the waiting area was akin to a cattle market on some days [but farmers would not make such comments to livestock]. My complaint to management was met with gaslighting.

• Some “refugees” were reported to be hanging around schools trying to pick up young girls. One head teacher complained to the centre manager who asked the case workers to “have a word”.

• A female caseworker repeated to a colleague the conversation she'd had with one of the men trying to pick up children. She said “I told him ‘it may be alright where you've come from, but it's not in this country’ ” [Sorted 👍]

That's just five points. All were dealt with quietly & in-house rather than adhering to national or local disciplinary procedures ….. because they didn't want the “negative publicity”.

Staff had a bit of a talking to & a slap on the wrist, as did the pedos. The police were NOT involved or informed.

Did I enjoy my time with the NASS Team?

Some of the staff were lovely. But no, I didn't.

I worked there for about 2/3 years, didn't go out on site & obviously only heard a fraction of the conversations between case workers & management. So I can't even begin to imagine all the things that actually went on.

* Many of the flats & maisonettes used for the NASS contract have since been demolished & the land sold to Housing Associations to build on. The tenants for the “new build” properties were taken from the waiting list of the very organisation the housing associations bought the land from - the council. Some housing associations even filled 100% of their new properties with applicants solely from the council's waiting list: privatisation through the back door & a very nice set-up for the gaffers … plus a subject for another article

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2019:

New asylum accommodation contracts awarded [UK]

The Home Office has awarded New Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) following an open and fair procurement exercise.

The Home Office formally awarded contracts to the following providers:

• Midlands and East of England: Serco

• North East, Yorkshire and Humberside: Mears Group

• North West: Serco

• Northern Ireland: Mears Group

• Scotland: Mears Group

• South: Clearsprings Ready Homes

• Wales: Clearsprings Ready Homes

Migrant Help have also been awarded the contract for the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility Assistance services (AIRE), which will be a single integrated and national service for asylum seekers.

The AIRE service will provide advice and guidance to service users on the asylum process, their rights and signposting different services.

It will also provide asylum seekers with a single point of contact, independent from the accommodation providers and the Home Office, to report issues.

The contracts were/are for 10 years. The cost? - Estimated to be £10 Billion.

Yes, you did read that correctly …. TEN BILLION POUNDS.

I was going to look into the companies awarded the contracts. But there's no need. Anyone who's alert knows of the dodgie shit Serco have got & get up to & the control they have world-wide. They have provided the “service” since 2012

SERCO controls immigration and owns a pathology lab in the UK and runs detention centers, prisons and hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. But the bulk of its income comes from no-bid US government contracts granted to it by members of Senior Executive Services (SES). SES consists of government insiders who, unlike a typical civil servant, cannot be fired after one year of service. President Obama appointed 8,000 of these Crown agents.

SERCO receives $15-20 billion dollars a year in US government contracts. It runs 63 air traffic control towers, manages Obama Care, runs city parking meters and lots, as well as buses and trains, overseas Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) loans, and handles all USAID shipments.

But 75% of SERCO’s contracts are with the Department of Defense. With offices in the Bank of England-controlled offshore dirty money banking centers of Guernsey, Jersey, and the Cayman Islands, SERCO runs “security” for all branches of the US military and our intelligence services.

SERCO is deeply involved in the US Space Program through Aerospace Corporation, which plans to deploy 24,000 new 5G-enabling satellites via Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon’s OneWeb in the next few years. SERCO also holds contracts with Bill Gates’ Millennium Foundation involving the sterilization of Africans and Indians through vaccinations.

The above four paragraphs are taken from this detailed, & very good, Substack article written by Dean Henderson 👍

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We were reassured in 2019 by Caroline Nokes, Immigration Minister at the time of awarding the above contracts

🔗https://www.lgbtconservatives.org.uk/news/endingnewcasesofhivisallofourresponsibility

[Note link]

…. She said:

“The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and these new contracts will make sure that asylum seekers are treated with dignity and respect in safe, secure and suitable accommodation.

They will deliver compassionate support through a new integrated service and make the asylum system more accessible and easier to navigate.

We consulted extensively with local authorities and NGOs to make sure that the contracts not only protect vulnerable asylum seekers but also deliver value for money for the taxpayer”

🔗 Announcement in full 👈

[Bold highlight added by me]

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2022:

[This is the little piece I started with 🙄]

79 Per Cent of 'Refugees' Have Vacationed in Country They 'Fled' From

STIG-AKE JONSSON/AFP/Getty Images

September 2022

A survey published this week has shown that the vast majority of “refugees” living in Sweden have vacationed in the country they fled from — though hardly any wish to ever return permanently. The survey, which was conducted by the polling firm Novus, claims that, around 85 per cent of people living in Sweden born overseas have gone on vacation to their home country — and that among people who are supposed to be refugees the number is around 79 per cent, despite the fact they are in Sweden in the first place because they were supposedly forced to flee said home country

🔗 Full article, with audio 👈

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In 20+ years not a lot has changed in relation to who is seeking “asylum”.

Is asylum even being sought any more? Is everyone now just a refugee? … I honestly can't be arsed to check.

Either way - the majority are young men &, very clearly, far greater in numbers now. Some have been seen receiving training on how to shoot guns on a disused army barracks [yet another article]

Apart from returning home for holidays, they send money back to their families - which often include wives & children. Something else the relevant “authorities” were/are aware of.

Two common sense questions:

• If it's so dangerous in the country they had to flee from, why do they leave their wives & children behind?

• Why do they not seek asylum in one of the numerous countries they pass through or by?

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2023:

🔗 The closure of "asylum hotels" - FAQ

🔗 Accomodation sites for asylum seekers

🔗 Living in dispersal accommodation

🔗 "Right to remain" Tool Kit

Lots of information can be found via the links above

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July 2024 UK:

Government fails to monitor firms with £4bn contracts to house asylum seekers

A joint investigation has found that the Home Office holds no centralised data on the performances of its three main accommodation providers – Serco, Mears and Clearsprings Ready Homes – which together house almost all of the 100,000 asylum seekers in government accommodation.

In 2019, these firms were awarded public contracts initially estimated to be worth £4bn over 10 years, though costs have since spiralled. Earlier this year the National Audit Office said it expects the Home Office to have spent “£3.1bn on hotels” in the financial year ending in March 2024 alone.

The three companies often act as middlemen – placing asylum seekers in hotels or other accommodation owned by firms in their networks. But our investigation has revealed that the Home Office’s most recent lists of all the subcontracted providers are five years out of date ...

🔗 Full article & related links

… You may notice in the above article that the estimated cost of the contract is less than half the amount stated in the governments press release in 2019. They also make a point of saying that “costs have since spiralled”.

Have a look at the date the article was published, then think about the riots taking place in the UK.

Is this a worthy news article? Or a deliberately incendiary piece released in an attempt to fan the flames of an already delicate, & most likely deliberately created, situation?

Like many many folks, I'm no bleedn racist - I’m a common sense realist

I saw coming 20+ years ago what's happening now, & was ignored when I raised concerns of what I'd seen, heard & experienced whilst working for the NASS team.

I later moved to another Team [& saw dodgie things happening there too involving senior management, councillors, the rehousing of paedophiles …. ]. After a while, I was given an honorarium job [again without going through the recruitment procedure] that came with quite a bit of responsibility. After the honorarium ended I was suspended from work, without being told why [against procedure] & escorted out of the building. I made them wait as I went up & down the hall telling colleagues what they were doing, as I had no witnesses to what was said to me alone in a room.

I was stitched up ….. BIG time.

I knew they were out to get me & so wanted everything documented that had happened n previous years. So, in line with their “strictly confidential” [👈 remember that bit] & well publicised procedure - I whistle blew.

A senior personnel officer came to my home to take a statement. When I started talking he looked shocked & asked me to close the windows so nobody outside could here. I spoke about the things mentioned in this article … & then some.

Was I listened to? By the man that took the statement, yes. But my whistle blowing was actually disclosed at my disciplinary hearing. Not just verbally - it was there in black & white in my disciplinary proceedings document. As was my violent partners FULL name [known by only 3 union colleagues I'd worked with & trusted for years]

It was obvious they wanted me gone …. & they did it - In one of the worst ways possible. It also turned out that my union [Unison], who I'd been Senior Health & Safety for & a Branch Officer of for 15 years [plus not lost a single case] were part of it all. My reputation, & nerves, were left in tatters.

One sunny afternoon I went to a bridge, climbed up on the wall & waited for a train. Now I'm no pussy. But, for a moment, I really saw no way out of the situation, & I had no support. My work colleagues were also my friends. They were all instructed to not communicate with me in any way [also not in line with procedure]. Some did for a while, but they were extremely cautious.

What stopped me from jumping off that bridge? ….. The 3 things that flashed in my mind all at once.

• My lovely cat [& familiar]

• The poor driver of the train

• ‘This is just what the kunts want’

I climbed down off the wall, got myself home, made a phone call & a doctor & nurse swiftly arrived from the mental health unit. I avoided being sectioned by the skin of my teeth.

I don't know how true this is but - I was told the senior personnel officer, that took my whistle blowing statement, handed in his notice under protest when I was dismissed.

This above is by no means the whole story. But I will expand on it in upcoming podcasts. I've started now so I may as well tell the rest.

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To end:

Putting this together I stumbled upon this article from University of Manchester:

Click on the link 👇

🔗 https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/asylum-housing-profit-is-more-important-than-well-being/

….. It would be interesting to see what that said.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my rambling. To be a selfish cow for a sec ….. It's actually been quite cathartic to write 🙏

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