Town's block will not be used for asylum seekers

An apartment block former home secretary Suella Braverman said a council should buy to stop it from housing asylum seekers will not be bought by the government.

Fareham Borough Council said it was told on Thursday that Wates House in Fareham, Hampshire, would not be procured by the Home Office.

Suella Braverman, Fareham and Waterlooville's MP, started a petition in February calling on the Conservative-controlled authority to buy it instead.

The council had also opposed the government's plan and on Thursday said it was "pleased to draw a line under this matter".

In a video posted on social media, Braverman said she had received "many messages" from constituents who were "really worried".

"It would be wholly inappropriate for this to happen and pose a risk to public safety," she said.

In a statement the council said it had "raised strong concerns... as indeed have other parties, including the police".

It said it had "spent months working quietly in the background through the correct channels to achieve this desired outcome".

The council's leader Simon Martin said previously that it had considered buying the flats in 2024, but pulled out "due to a number of reasons, including grounds of safety and construction quality".

He added that the cost of what would have been "a very significant amount of money" on the block could not be justified.

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