Revealed: Labour mayor cost taxpayers more than £75k during one-woman crusade to stop Bibby Stockholm asylum seeker barge being placed in her town

A Labour mayor's crusade to stop the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge has cost taxpayers more than £75,000, it has been revealed. Carralyn Parkes took her local council to court after it failed to challenge the Home Office's decision to place the migrant barge in Portland Harbour. Carralyn Parkes, right, took her local council to court after it failed to challenge the Home Office 's decision to place the migrant barge in Portland Harbour The 222-bedroom barge arrived in Portland Port in July 2023 to house about 500 men while their asylum claims were processed and reduce the expensive hotel costs Stand Up To Racism activists staged a protest against Home Office's plan to return refugees to Bibby Stockholm barge But defiant Mrs Parkes, who raised £37,000 through crowd funding, today said she stood by her decision to mount the legal challenge as she believes it played a significant part in the new government's decision not to renew the barge contract. Mrs Parkes, pictured, said she stood by her decision to take the Home Office to court, costing Dorset Council more than £75,000 in taxpayer money Locals have hit out at the cancel for wasting taxpayer's money on a 'lost cause' The 222-bedroom barge arrived in Portland Port in July 2023 to house about 500 men while their asylum claims were processed and reduce the expensive hotel costs.