“According to a report in iNews the barge has cost the Home Office almost £300,000 a week while it has been empty.”

How much of that is running/mooring costs? If we’re “renting” this surely it would be cheaper, even in the medium term, to build new facilities even on land.

Plenty of empty office buildings that could be converted.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The Home Office plans to return asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge next week following a lengthy evacuation after legionella was found there.

“The Home Office has said if you don’t go back to the Bibby Stockholm, your support will stop, and you’ll intentionally make yourself homeless.

We feel as if we are being hunted by the Home Office, when all we want now is a system that treats us fairly, a swift interview, a stable future and a voice.”

Carralyn Parkes, who lives on the Isle of Portland, is due to ask the high court for approval to challenge the government department over the barge, arguing that it requires planning permission.

The Home Office changed its policy on Monday, giving people seeking asylum five working days to challenge being moved on to the barge.

A freedom of information request from the Home Office obtained by the anti-trafficking organisation After Exploitation on Monday said 136 barge notices had been issued so far.

The original article contains 632 words, the summary contains 163 words. Saved 74%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!