Clearsprings Ready Homes

Clearsprings Ready Homes is a British company which provides housing services, primarily for the Home Office. Clearsprings have operated all asylum seeker housing in Wales since 2012, and have also operated asylum seeker housing in England. Accommodation and services provided by Clearsprings have been repeatedly criticised for their poor quality.

History

Clearsprings Ready Homes is a subsidiary of Clearsprings (Management) Ltd. and was previously part of Clearel Limited.[1][2] In 2007, Clearsprings won a contract to operate Approved Premises for people on bail – it subsequently opened more than 160 housing units. The company was accused of failing to properly consult local councils about their accommodation.[3]

In 2015 the company was investigated by HM Revenue and Customs relating to its taxes; it later paid more than £200,000 in a settlement.[1][2]

Asylum seeker housing

Clearsprings Ready Homes has provided accommodation for asylum seekers since at least 2000.[1] It has operated all such accommodation in Wales since 2012, a contract which was valued at £119 million in 2016.[4][2] The company currently has two ten-year contracts with the British government to operate accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales and the South of England until 2029, at a total cost of over £1 billion.[1]

At temporary asylum seeker accommodation run by Clearsprings in Cardiff, residents were forced to wear red wrist bands to receive food. After the practice sparked controversy in 2016, including comments from the First Minister, Clearsprings reported that they would be scrapping the scheme.[5] The accommodation, Lynx House, had also been found to be overcrowded and host to poor living conditions.[6] Problems included damp carpets, malfunctioning fire alarms, and leaking plumbing.[4] The Home Office received 59 complains about Clearsprings' accommodation services in 2016.[2]

A 2019 investigation by The Guardian found that asylum seekers in Southall, London, were being housed in "dire living conditions" in properties managed by a company paid by Clearsprings, finding them to be overcrowded, lacking functioning facilities, and overrun with pests. Lawyers said the situation could be a breach of human rights legislation. The Home Office said that "urgent action" would be taken to rectify problems in the housing, and soon after the investigation was published improvements were made.[7]

In June 2020, a three-year-old boy died at a house owned by Clearsprings. An investigation was opened to uncover the exact cause of death.[8]

Since 2020, Clearsprings have operated asylum seeker housing at the former military camp in Penally, Pembrokeshire, and at Napier Barracks in Kent.[9] Residents at these sites have gone on hunger strike and have attempted suicide.[9] Volunteers working at the Napier barracks were made to sign confidentiality agreements under the Official Secrets Act.[9] In January 2021 a fire was started at the Napier site; 14 men were arrested in response.[10][11] Residents at these barracks reported that they went without electricity, heating, and clean drinking water after the fire. Some residents reported "repeated" complaints to Clearsprings over poor living conditions, including poorly cooked food.[10][12] The Red Cross called on the UK government to remove all asylum seekers from the location due to the conditions.[10]

References
  1. Davies, Rob (3 February 2021). "Firm running asylum-seeker barracks in Kent stands to earn £1bn". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. Yorke, Harry (9 February 2016). "The chairman of the company which runs a controversial asylum centre was paid £960,000 last year". Wales Online. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. Doward, Jamie (10 August 2008). "Warning over backlash in bail hostel row". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  4. Williams, James (4 December 2016). "Poor asylum seeker housing conditions criticised". BBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  5. "Food wristbands scrapped for Cardiff asylum seekers". BBC News. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  6. "'Overcrowding' at asylum seekers' Lynx House, Cardiff". BBC News. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  7. Taylor, Diane (27 August 2019). "Investigation prompts rapid upgrades to asylum seekers' homes". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  8. Johnson, Jenny (14 July 2020). "'Unexplained' death of boy, three, in Cardiff investigated". BBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  9. Grierson, Jamie (23 November 2020). "Home Office accused of cover-up at camp for asylum seekers". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  10. Grierson, Jamie (31 January 2021). "Asylum seekers tell of dire conditions at Kent barracks after fire". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  11. Grierson, Jamie (29 January 2021). "Priti Patel suggests fire at Kent asylum seeker site started deliberately". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  12. Da Silva, Chantal (8 January 2021). "Asylum seekers at Penally camp accuse Home Office of ignoring repeated complaints over food and conditions". The Independent. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
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