Deny holding 500 single-adult males at Portland Port on a barge for 18 months.

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

The Home Office confirmed that the Bibby Stockholm barge will host more than 500 single-adult males in Portland, Dorset, near Weymouth. This matter has only been discussed in private with the port owners which has exacerbated the issue for the public. We demand the immediate reversal of this plan.

There has been no account of the effects this could have on the many small businesses and people relying on the summer trade. Tourists, visitors and families flock to Weymouth & Portland in the summer to enjoy the lovely resort and beaches. The barge itself will, in effect, be a quasi-prison, where hundreds of young men will spend most of their time. Doing what? The port is heavily restricted and what happens if there’s trouble on board? Not to mention, what will they do in the wider community?

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

We cannot accept petitions about operational matters, which includes decisions about what specific accommodation in particular localities to use to accommodate asylum seekers.

We could accept a petition calling on the Government not to house asylum seekers in accommodation such as barges, if that's something you'd like to happen.

Timeline

6 Apr 2023	Petition opened for signatures
11 Apr 2023	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 11 Apr 2023

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