Tories under fire over plan to cram another 900 asylum seekers in shared bedrooms in hotels

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Tory Ministers have been accused of “racist” and “inhumane” plans to cram another 900 asylum seekers into Scots hotels by forcing them to share bedrooms.The doubling up plan for people fleeing persecution comes despite the UK Government admitting hotels are not “appropriate”.Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: "The complacent, cruel and inhumane hotels policy has been a disaster. “It is a symptom of a brutal, racist and broken system that actively punishes some of the world's most vulnerable people.”It has been reported that more than 50,000 asylum seekers are being housed across the UK in Home Office run hotels.The policy also applies in Scotland where private firm Mears is responsible for finding temporary accommodation.Hotels are judged to be unsuitable but are being used due to the lack of affordable housing in local areas.A leaked letter from Home Office official Tim Rymer to SNP Minister Emma Roddick stated: “The Home Secretary and Immigration Minister have been clear that the use of hotels is inappropriate and that we must reduce our reliance on them as a form of temporary accommodation.”He continued: “The Home Office is constantly challenging our accommodation suppliers to make best use of available asylum accommodation to reduce the need for more hotels and deliver the best value for money for the taxpayer.

But he added: “In order to deliver this we are working closely with our accommodation providers to optimise the existing space within the existing hotel estate.”The letter revealed plans to increase the number of asylum seekers in hotels through the room share plan.The Brentwood hotel in Aberdeen has a current capacity of 114, but a planned rise of 107 through sharing would take the total to 211.Under the plans,