The council can have their say over "utterly inappropriate" proposals to house asylum seekers in Waterlooville

Havant Borough Council has secured a ten-day consultation with the Home Office after it said communication problems meant it was never asked about the plans because the wrong person was contacted as part of the original consultation.

As previously reported by The News, local MPs and Conservative councillors had claimed that Havant Borough Council failed to respond to the Home Office when it was contacted to ask if it was an appropriate site, effectively paving the way for it to go ahead for 35 people to be housed in flats above shops in London Road.

Fareham and Waterlooville MP Suella Braverman has dubbed the proposals "utterly inappropriate", with Havant MP Alan Mak also adding his voice of opposition.

But the council has said the Home Office didn’t contact it at all, instead emailing an outside contractor who is no longer working for the council and then failing to follow up when it received no reply. As a result it has now been granted extra time from the Home Office and its third-party procurement company Clearsprings to formally consider the plans.

Havant Borough Council said that thanks to ‘a strong and honest dialogue with the Home Office’, the reopening of the ten-day consultation was secured within two days.

The consultation between Havant Borough Council, Clearsprings and the Home Office will allow the council to formally respond on potential issues such as appropriate placement, community cohesion and other variables that the council is ideally placed to highlight. The council as part of this consultation will secure perspectives and feedback from councillors, key stakeholders and more to inform their opinion, with the town centre in the midst of regeneration plans.

In addition to the re-opened consultation, Councillor Phil Munday (Leader of Havant Borough Council) will also be personally meeting with the Home Office on Friday, July 25 to highlight his concerns to date.

Councillor Munday said: “The council has unequivocally fought hard to secure the consultation and the means to give our vital local perspective on this important issue.

“Combined with my imminent Home Office meeting, everything is being done to ensure our voice is heard whilst dealing with a challenge being felt nationally. I look forward to the council providing a response that reflects the concerns of the borough.”

Mr Munday also criticised Ms Braverman for referring to asylum seekers as “illegal migrants” on her website where she launched a petition opposing the plans.

He said: “They are categorically not recognised by the state as illegal immigrants – regardless of the headline-grabbing title of Suella Braverman’s petition – and I urge people to consider this in their views and actions.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said it was in “active dialogue” with the local authority and added: “We are working to fairly disperse asylum seekers across the country, consulting closely with local authorities and listening to local concerns.”

The council will respond to the consultation no later than Friday, August 1. The council will then await the Home Office’s final decision on whether to approve the proposed accommodation.

Similar plans for 27 flats at Wates House in Wallington Hill in Fareham were dropped in April after fierce opposition from Mrs Braverman and Fareham Borough Council who said the site was unsuitable.