16.06.2022
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities have refused to release information under a freedom of information request.
On the 16th of May, I put in a freedom of information request to the Department of Levelling up, Housing & Communities asking:
How many asylum seekers (those who have had successful claims) and refugees have been put into social housing since January 1st 2022?
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities FOI Team replied stating that they hold the information requested but will not release it.
They went on to say that information falling within this exemption must be provided unless it is not in the public interest to do so.
Now call me old-fashioned but all information regarding social housing is very much within the scope of public interest.
The question I asked was reasonable and due to the sheer scale of illegal immigration, the public has the right to know how many homes under the social housing banner are being given out to so-called asylum seekers.
With over 30,000 illegal immigrants housed in hotels at the taxpayer’s expense, many will inevitably be moved into homes.
Almost 50,000 illegal immigrants have arrived by boat in the last 3 years and that’s not including those that overstay their visas or enter via vehicles.
If roughly 30,000 are in hotels then the rest have to be moved somewhere as they haven’t been deported. Social housing is the obvious conclusion. Whilst yes, some will enter private rented accommodation, the vast majority will be placed into social housing.
So for the government to withhold this information, it is clear that the answer will shock the public. British citizens have been stuck on housing waiting lists for up to ten years at a time. Thousands are homeless or sofa surfing and news that illegal immigrants are jumping the queue will cause outrage, even though many suspected it.
I have appealed the decision to withhold the information as I genuinely believe the public has the right to know.
For the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities to state that it is not in the public interest is simply a lie and in my opinion a breach of the FOI act. They claim the information will be released in the near future, however, they dont provide a date and I suspect that it could be years and will only be released when the information is outdated and irrelevant.
The public has the right to know, if you believe so too then I urge you to put in your own Freedom of Information request asking the same question I did. We can not let them get away with it, withholding vital information such as this is completely unacceptable.
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