Asylum seeker hotels - any drama in your area?

[Lidlbitofmonica]

Curious to see if there is any unrest/drams around hotels being used for holding asylum seekers in other towns/cities in Scotland. There is a hotel in Falkirk which has had a lot of publicity about sexual assaults and other issues with the residents behaviour, there have been weekly protests outside it and feelings are running high. Is this the same for other areas? Or is it especially bad in Falkirk?

By publicity do you mean reports of actual crimes or rumours being spread by people who don't want them there?

we have several hotels full of them and the town centre no longer resembles the one we knew......i suspect their crime is NOT being reported, deliberately to keep the peace.

In my area I saw a report that a patient went into the health centre to ask for an appointment. There were none available.
At the same time there were 3 men from the asylum seekers hotel-they were told to go back to the Hotel and a doctor would visit the same afternoon.
It's no wonder there is a lot of resentment

Our town centre is now mainly pubs and cafes with men speaking in their own languages sitting outside smoking weed and staring at every woman walking by.

There’s both, a definite media report of a sexual crime and a lot of speculation of other similar crimes.

Because the health care being provided to them is not coming from the budget and resources of your local health centre. There are specific agencies dealing with asylum seekers and processes to follow.
It might sound like these people are getting VIP treatment but it's definitely not the good old home visits from the local GP

But they had a doctor coming round the same day.
Most Brits can't see one in weeks. I understand it's two different arrangements but no wonder people are annoyed.

One in our town, no real issues despite the frenzy that was whipped up when it was announced!

I'm not aware of any in Edinburgh. Doesn't mean there isn't tho

To be honest I'd take that anecdote with a pinch of salt. Also, a lot of the medical staff who work with refugees and asylum seekers are volunteers so maybe the hotel does have someone available 24/7.
I really wouldn't want to have been through what these people have. There's so much anger and bitterness and "us and them" but honestly having worked with so many families who have fled their homes and left everything behind I can promise you that nobody does it for a jolly!

Around here no families but young men seeking a better future money-wise (most of them won't get asylum).

This is often said. I've worked with lots of refugees so I can explain why this may be/seem to be the case.
Men are often separated from the rest of their family in the journey to get to the UK or in the accomodation they receive.
There are definitely lots of single men but to put it bluntly the journey is not easy and they have the best chance of survival and success. Many young men travel to make money to send home to help their extended family get out.

And it is often true. A lot of people seek UK and Europe for a better life and won't have any rights to stay. No one can blame them looking for a better future but in the end a lot are returned

Oh, don't be reasonable and empathetic. People would much rather believe that they come here for benefits and to sexually assault women.
Or to try and live a better life and make money (which is apparently a despicable thing to do).

Many countries don’t have reliable vaccination programmes. Some people may have communicable diseases you would want treated quickly like TB.

Unfortunately they're an easy target - the media doesn't help. The anger should really be directed at the insane level of mismanagement of public services and massive profits being made by the old boys network.

Of course it should but I understand why people are offended.

Yes, I know, but do you understand why people wonder?

I understand too but people need to see beyond the convenient scapegoat and not fall for the propaganda and deliberate redirection of focus for the problems in the UK.
If it's not asylum seekers it's unemployed, disabled or whatever "drain" on society is popular in the tabloids this week.
Divide and Rule is well and truly still working!

Healthcare for asylum seekers in hotels and IRCs is often commissioned using separate systems and gets job planned similar to prison clinics and things like that. That usually means that there'll be set times when a healthcare professional attends. The likeliest explanation for what the person overheard is that a doctor was already scheduled to be providing clinical reviews for asylum seekers at that time. This work is in addition to, rather than instead of, standard clinical hours in a job plan.

I work with minors seeking safety in the UK and can almost guarantee that a GP did not 'call round the same day' simply because they are seeking asylum.

It's shocking, even local papers stir up trouble. 'Neighbours disgusted people will be homed near a school.'

Thanks all, even if we got a bit derailed, good to hear other experiences.

They were using the old erskine bridge hotel to accommodate asylum seekers and there was a huge stooshie about it - partly because it's in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing in the area for the people to do and it's too far from education, GPs, shops etc, and partly some local people up in arms about it.

This was a while ago though, no idea if it's still being used.

It's closed down now and everyone was relocated. There was some trouble with the far right but local people were mainly very welcoming and compassionate and as far as I'm aware there were no issues.

Lots of people want to believe the absolute worst with absolutely no facts to back it up. What an existence these people have living off £8 a week isolated from friends and family, living somewhere they don’t know. Can’t work and nothing to do all day.