West and Lesley agreed the barge should not have been brought to Portland in the first place (Image: BBC•Getty) Residents living next to the Bibby Stockholm barge used in recent months to home asylum-seekers have broken their silence about the decision to scrap the contract. The Labour Government said it will scrap the controversial use of the barge to house asylum-seekers as part of its immigration system overhaul. Labour argued that ending the lease on the Bibby Stockholm would save £20 million next year.
The move is part of a larger plan to save over £7.7 billion over the next decade by clearing a huge asylum backlog. And Dorset residents near Portland harbour, where the barge has been based, welcomed the decision as they branded the scheme as "wrong.
" READ MORE: Labour announces bombshell £22m Bibby Stockholm barge closure in major overhaul Labour claims the UK will be able to save £20 million next year by scrapping the deal (Image: Getty) Sally Lesley told the BBC the British Government should not have struck the agreement with Bibby Stockholm in the first place. Ms Lesley said: "It's not that we are particularly against immigrants in Portland. "It's just the wrong environment and the wrong place and it doesn't do them any favours.
" Residents last year mounted a strong protest against the arrival of the barge claiming it would put a strain on local resources. Campaigners had also warned healthy living conditions on the barge could not be guaranteed. Another local, Linda Levi, had been volunteering to help asylum seekers living on the barge and welcomed the news of the end of the contract with some sadness.
DON'T MISS: Asylum seeker on the run after biting cop when bringing drugs onto Bibby barge Mob descends on hostel in bid to stop bus from taking migrants to Bibby barge Forty Bibby Stockholm asylum seekers 'converting to Christianity' The barge homed 500 asylum seekers but faced strong opposition from the beginning (Image: Getty) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Read our Privacy Policy She said: "I was really shocked when I heard the news because I've enjoyed helping them. "Obviously for a lot of them their mental health is paramount and they had awful trouble on the Stockholm - but I am going to miss them. There's no two ways about it.
" Town councillor Sandy West, however, insisted conditions on the barge were "suitable" but conceded Portland was not the right place to host the scheme, branding the placement as "daft." Ms West said: "Portland is the wrong place for it. We haven't got the infrastructure.
" The boat has been at the centre of controversy since it was first towed into Portland harbour in Dorset a year ago to house up to 500 asylum-seekers. It was billed as a cheaper alternative to hotels as the Conservative government tried to tackle the costs of housing thousands of migrants and deter English Channel crossings in unseaworthy boats. Trending Michelle Dewberry slams MP after Bibby Stockholm complaints In August, the discovery in its water supply of legionella bacteria , which can cause serious illness, forced a two-month evacuation of the ship.
In December, an Albanian man was found dead on board and was believed to have committed suicide. Local MP Lloyd Hatton argued the boat was "at capacity" and insisted the aim is to get as many cases of current residents processed as possible to swiftly move them out. Mr Hatton said: "Many of those men had been waiting months, if not years, for their cases to be looked at.
"The reassurance is that those cases will be looked at at pace and this will mean that a decision will be made as to whether or not they will be safely and smoothly returned, or they will be here working, contributing, paying taxes and part of society." Related articles Huge migration crackdown as Labour plans raids on car washes and salons DWP issues Universal Credit 'act now' benefits warning to 1.2million people Brit tourists love beautiful UK seaside towns so much they're moving in We are sleepwalking into a nightmare of small boats crossings this summer.
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