U turn.
No fewer than 83 asylum seekers were due to take up residence in 21 new homes worth £250,000 apiece that had initially been earmarked for much-needed social housing.
www.dailymail.com
'A Home Office spokesperson said: 'New homes should never house asylum seekers. The Home Secretary has directly intervened to stop migrants being moved into the Stoke Heath development and no asylum seekers remain on site.'
'... the Daily Mail can now reveal that the initial decision to turn the new estate in Stoke Heath over to migrants was made despite the fact that 131 veterans are waiting on Shropshire Council's register for social housing, with seven making homelessness applications.
This total – obtained via a Freedom of Information request – far exceeds the number of asylum seekers who would have moved into the £250,000 homes in Stoke Heath.
While ministers have now 'put a halt' to housing the asylum seekers in the village's new-builds, veterans have torn into the Government for seemingly prioritising asylum seekers over those who have served their country.
Stu Mendelson, a former Royal Engineer, told the Daily Mail: 'The debate over Stoke Heath shouldn't overshadow the veterans already waiting for housing in Shropshire. Armed Forces Day has just passed.
'Now is the time to ask whether we're doing enough for those who've already served.'
