Local town mayor takes Suella Braverman to court over asylum seeker barge
A town mayor in Dorset is taking Suella Braverman to court over the controversial asylum seeker barge. Carralyn Parkes, who is the Mayor of Portland, has accused the Home Secretary of failing to get the necessary planning permission.
Up to 500 migrants will be accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm which has been docked in Portland Port. So far just 15 people so far have been moved onto the vessel after others raised complaints.
Ms Parkes, who is taking the legal action in a personal capacity, accused Ms Braverman of “riding roughshod” over both local residents and those to be housed on the barge. She has written to the Home Secretary giving her 14 days’ notice of her intention to seek a judicial review.
Dorset Council has said it does not believe planning permission is necessary because the barge lies below the average low water mark and is therefore not within the local planning authority’s jurisdiction. But in her letter to Ms Braverman, Ms Parkes has argued this is incorrect. She claims the barge effectively is being used as a permanent structure as it is connected to land for both electricity and sewage. Works have been carried out to the port especially ahead of the barge arriving including the erection of security fences.
Carralyn Parkes says her local town is unsuitable for the accommodationMs Parkes, who is crowdfunding her legal challenge, told the Mirror: “The reason I’m doing this is because the Home Office and Portland Port have pushed this barge through, riding roughshod over both the asylum seekers and our local community. Because they did this behind closed doors they did not do it properly with a consultation and planning permission. I believe we have a strong case.”
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She added: “Portland Port is the only one in the country that has agreed to accept a barge. Every other place that has been approached has refused. We feel this is an unsuitable place to house asylum seekers. This is not motivated by any anti-migrant feeling. We will treat them with consideration, courtesy and respect. They are human beings and deserve kindness and dignity, but this is the wrong place for a facility like this.
“The barge itself is very small. The rooms are clearly made for one person each, but are accommodating two. There’s all sorts of talk about fire safety too. There are a whole range of reasons why the barge and the port are unsuitable to house vulnerable people.”
Deighton Pierce Glynn, the legal firm representing Ms Parkes, said: “The Home Secretary is circumventing planning permission procedures to use the Bibby Stockholm barge to accommodate vulnerable asylum seekers in conditions which are clearly inadequate. We will be asking the court to declare that planning permission is required and that the Home Secretary must follow the relevant procedures.”
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