Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with Canterbury City Council before allocating property on Herne Bay High Street as asylum accommodation.

The Asylum Accommodation Services Contracts set out a number of principles in relation to working with local authorities, and other stakeholders including consultation and liaison regarding the location of accommodation and other issues, ranging from security controls to the impact on local amenities.

It is through this consultation and liaison that local authorities may raise any objection to specific properties being used as asylum accommodation, including on behalf of the local people they represent.