Crawley council confirm K2 Leisure Centre is being used for emergency accommodation for British citizens with housing pressures remaining 'unabated'
Crawley Borough Council have confirmed K2 Leisure Centre is being used for emergency accommodation for British citizens.
The Crawley Observer was contacted by residents with concerns the leisure facility was being used to house refugees and asylum seekers.
But when we contacted the council, they confirmed it was being used for a ‘significant number of people’ from Mauritius who arrived this week and needed emergency accommodation.
A council spokesperson said: “Over the past few days a significant number of people from Mauritius have arrived at Gatwick Airport and sought accommodation locally.
“Their arrival in the UK follows the government’s offer of British Overseas Territories Citizenship, that is a British passport, to Chagossians currently living in Mauritius. This offer was made to recognise that the Chagossians were forced to move from their homeland, Diego Garcia, in the late 1960s and early 1970s to accommodate a large US Airforce base. Over time, Crawley has become home to the largest community of Chagossians in the UK, approximately 3,500 people, accounting for two-thirds of those resident in this country.
“Crawley Borough Council is bound by statute that sets out when housing must be offered. West Sussex County Council also has statutory housing duties relating to children and vulnerable adults. Everyone was assessed against these duties in the same way that any other British citizen would be. Following this assessment, some were offered emergency accommodation. The remainder did not quality for accommodation but had nowhere else to go. We therefore had to set up a rest centre to provide shelter.
“For the Chagossian people, a deep sense of injustice remains. That could be seen in the protests that accompanied yesterday's arrivals. The community believes that they have still to be compensated properly for the loss of their homeland. The protests had the effect of making housing assessment decisions challenging. Staff from both Crawley Borough Council and West Sussex County Council responded both professionally and compassionately in meeting that challenge.
“Within Crawley it is a challenge made harder by the housing situation in the town. In February of this year, the council was the first in England to declare a Housing Emergency. These pressures remain unabated.”