Home Office cancels asylum seeker accommodation plans in Aberdeen

The UK Home Office has withdrawn its proposal to house approximately 150 asylum seekers at a facility on St Peter Street in Aberdeen. The decision to abandon the dispersal accommodation follows significant opposition from local politicians and community members.

In communications to Aberdeen City Council, the Home Office cited “commercial and contractual reasons” and the results of “further due diligence on the site” as the reasons for the cancellation. Douglas Lumsden, the Scottish Conservative MP for Aberdeen South, welcomed the reversal, describing the original plan to house asylum seekers near student accommodation as “completely irresponsible.”

A Home Office spokesperson stated that the government is working to close asylum hotels to save taxpayers money and is engaging with local authorities to distribute housing more fairly across the country. The decision follows previous local tensions regarding asylum seeker accommodation, including past protests and hate crime charges related to migration issues in the area.