Asylum seekers in UK placed in rat-infested accommodation, Commons report finds

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. She added: “We have come across too many examples of vulnerable people in unsafe accommodation, for example children living with infestations of mice, rats or bed bugs, lack of healthcare for pregnant women, or inadequate support for victims of rape and torture.​ "No one should be living in conditions like that." Ms Cooper said: “It is completely unfair on those local authorities and communities that have signed up and are now taking many more people, when so many local authorities in more affluent areas are still doing nothing at all.” Contractors are housing more people than they were funded for because of the contract design, growing delays in Home Office asylum processing and higher applications, the committee added. It also warned that inspection and complaints regimes are inadequate and said accommodation funding is much lower than for the Government's separate Syrian refugee scheme – leading to a “two-tier” system. “Ultimately, it is for the Home Office to ensure that councils receive adequate support so they can provide the housing and services these incredibly vulnerable people need.” A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection and we are committed to providing safe and secure accommodation while applications are considered.