On the BBC: Stockport Council and RAPAR speak out about scabies outbreak, rubbish in corridors and "inhumane treatment" in Serco-run asylum hotel

The BBC have featured RAPAR's exposé about the degrading and inhuman conditions in a Serco-run asylum hotel in Greater Manchester.

Serco have denied all the allegations. However, in a press release that RAPAR issued this week, we reported that Stockport Council shared RAPAR's grave concerns about the conditions in the hotel:  

A spokesperson for the Stockport council leader said they share RAPAR’s concerns about conditions in the hotel “where the inadequate management arrangements and resettlement planning continue to cause extremely negative consequences.”

Cllr Hunter’s office agrees that appropriate preventative arrangements are not in place at the hotel and that the model, which is designed for a high turnover, is not working.

“The asylum seekers and Stockport residents are suffering. Asylum seekers have been cooped up in a hotel for months and this inhumane treatment acts as a Petri dish for mental health issues in a cohort that are already vulnerable,” says the council leader’s statement. 

See the full press release here.

On Friday the 11th of November, the BBC included a segment on its evening news about asylum hotels. We asked the BBC to send us the clip to share - it is available to view on this link.

The BBC said on its news page:

Residents at a hotel accommodating asylum seekers faced a scabies outbreak and "inhumane treatment", a council and a charity have claimed.

Stockport Council said people were "cooped up" at an unnamed hotel in the town for a number of months, with some residents being treated for scabies.

Human rights charity Rapar said piles of rubbish were left in corridors and insects were found in food.

Serco, which runs the hotel, said there were "currently no cases of scabies".

The firm told BBC North West Tonight that waste was removed daily, a balanced and nutritious menu was served and staff treated residents with respect.

Council leader Mark Hunter said the town had "provided warm support to asylum seekers, Afghan evacuees and Ukrainians over the past year or so", but both hotel residents and locals were "suffering" due to conditions at the site.

"Asylum seekers have been cooped up… for months and this inhumane treatment acts as a Petri dish for mental health issues in a cohort that are already vulnerable," he said.
"We are aware that there is an outbreak of scabies and it is because of the arrangements we have put in place that individuals are receiving treatment."

Follow this link to the BBC page.