Unlawful practice still used in Kent was condemned after more than 200 went missing from accommodation
The UK Home Office has placed more than 100 lone asylum-seeker children in hotels in recent weeks, despite the practice having been found unlawful by the high court.
The government’s continued use of hotels has been condemned by human rights and refugee organisations since more than 200 children have gone missing, including dozens who vanished from one hotel in Brighton.
One of the reasons why children continue to be placed in hotels, some for a number of weeks, is that Kent county council says it cannot cope with the number of children arriving. The council’s geographical location means it has responsibility to take into care lone children who arrive at the Kent coast in small boats. It has warned that they are struggling to meet their legal obligations to UK as well as asylum-seeker children.
Both the Home Office and Kent county council have been found by the high court to have acted unlawfully by failing to look after these children properly.
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Tag: kent
Two Afghans tell of how they were taken from Manston centre and left without accommodation or money
People taken from Manston immigration holding centre have described their dismay at being deposited late at night in central London, without accommodation, appropriate clothing or money.
Amid growing controversy over the circumstances in which large numbers of people were bussed out of the acutely overcrowded camp, the Home Office has insisted that it only released asylum seekers who told staff that they had family or friends they could stay with.
But two people from Afghanistan told the Guardian that they were brought to London without having a clear idea of where they could stay. They describe scenes of rushed confusion as staff ushered them on to buses at the holding centre, before they were abandoned at Victoria railway station.
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A young asylum seeker from Afghanistan was among the group of 11 people left on the street outside Victoria station on Tuesday evening. He said he had told Home Office staff during an interview before leaving the camp that he had no relatives or acquaintances in the UK.
“They asked me if I had any friends or family and I replied I had no one in England,” he said. Later he was asked by officials what city he would like to go to, and he said he would like to go to London, assuming that accommodation would be provided for him.
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The young man, who asked not to be named, said he asked the bus driver where he should go as they arrived at Victoria station. “I thought there was going to be a hotel for us. He said: ‘Go anywhere you want to go, it’s not my responsibility.’ I told the driver I don’t have any address or any relatives. He said: ‘I can’t do anything for you.’”
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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/03/we-were-left-by-the-road-asylum-seekers-stranded-in-london-describe-experienceJust Stop Oil actions
Climate activist group Just Stop Oil have disrupted three oil terminals and many M25 petrol stations this week. Just Stop Oil are calling for no new oil and gas ventures in UK which is accepted as a necessary measure to address the climate crisis.
Dozens of environmental protesters have blocked critical oil infrastructure in Essex and the Midlands as they revived a campaign to “just stop oil”.
At daybreak on Tuesday, about 50 people took part in protests targeting three oil terminals, from where fuel is distributed to petrol stations, the activist group Just Stop Oil said.
In Essex, about 30 activists occupied the Inter oil terminal in Grays and blocked a road leading to the Navigator oil terminal in Thurrock, while five others occupied tunnels dug beneath access roads to the terminals.
In Warwickshire about 20 people tried to block access roads to the Kingsbury oil terminal, the campaign said. Four others were said to be occupying two tunnels near the site.
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Environmental protesters have blocked three service stations on the M25 in a second day of action this week attempting to put pressure on the government to end new oil and gas projects.
According to the Just Stop Oil campaign, 32 of its supporters took action from 5am at Cobham services in Surrey, Clacket Lane services in Kent and Thurrock services in Essex.
They blocked access to petrol pumps by sitting in the road with banners, while some sabotaged petrol pumps by breaking the display glass, covering them with spray paint or locking on to them.
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NHS in crisis :: review
The short NHS in crisis series of the past week or so went fairly well. We’ve learned
- that imposing a fake private ‘market’ so that privateers can pillage NHS funds is a huge bureaucratic burden on the NHS.
- that the Conservatives repeatedly claim not to impose reorganisations or privatisation on the NHS only to do exactly that. I suggest that we’ve learned that the Conservatives have absolutely no mandate to further privatise the NHS since Cameron and Lansley promised not to.
- that there has been a pay freeze in the NHS for five years or so.
- etc (and we’ve seen a shouty man in a car).
There are plenty of resources for further research e.g. there’s plenty on what junior doctors are and do at youtube.
I’ll be watching and reporting NHS news. Current NHS news is that the BMA have cancelled an intended 48 hour strike by junior doctors next Tuesday. I’m sure that everyone welcomes that news. Kent CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) has also signed a deal with a hospital in Calais to treat NHS patients. Far from ideal? barking?
