Scot Gov runs up £20m bill on hotel rooms for Ukraine refugees – that end up EMPTY
THE Scottish Government has blown up to £20million of public cash on hotel rooms for Ukrainian refugees — that lie empty.
Stats show the SNP-Green coalition blew £54,270 on unused accommodation in just one five-week spell.
Critics blame red tape for delays in sponsors taking arrivals into their homes, with the SNP government accused of not doing enough.
Scot Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Ukrainian refugees should be receiving the warmest of welcomes.
"But the Scottish Government’s response has been glacial and meant a reliance on expensive temporary accommodation including hotels and cruise ships."
The Lib Dem chief demanded asylum seekers fleeing miseries including the Russian invasion be settled here quicker.
And he insisted the process of matching hosts with guests should be simplified as it emerged the SNP government’s annual bill to reserve rooms at inns — which may end up lying vacant — could run to an astonishing £20million.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “People want to open up their homes in a collective gesture of generosity.
"It’s time the Scottish Government supported local authorities properly so they can conduct the necessary checks, match guests quickly and help people settle into new lives in Scotland.”
Figures released under freedom of information laws show that, from October 5 to November 9, the government paid for an average of 405 vacant rooms daily for Ukrainian refugees, at a cost of £134 a night — totalling £54,270.
Most read in News
Estimates put the prospective bill for the five-week spell at £1.9million, or £19.8million for the year.
It comes as data revealed 20,591 Ukrainians had arrived in Scotland under the UK sponsor scheme — 16,868 backed by the Scottish Government and 3,723 by individuals.
To become a sponsor, hosts must have leave to be in the UK for at least six months, pass criminal record and council checks and have their home inspected.
Those looking to move to the UK under the scheme must also pass checks on their identity and criminal record.
Officials warn the process can take months.
Number crunchers say the empty rooms data is a snapshot of 24 hours and total vacancies change daily, with stats logged weekly.
Officials recorded 311 unused rooms as of October 5, but the tally rocketed to 592 by November 9.
The figures can be revealed just a week after Westminster criticised Scotland’s response to the Channel migrant crisis.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick claimed the country was housing fewer asylum seekers in hotels than it should.
And the Tory MP told the Commons: “Today in Scotland, in contrast with the rest of the United Kingdom, only one city — Glasgow — is doing its fair share and taking asylum seekers.
"In Scotland, only a dozen hotels outside Glasgow are taking asylum seekers, which isn’t fair and equitable.”
He added: “The Scottish Government are refusing to take any of the asylum seekers who are arriving in the UK on small boats, which is not right.”
The Scottish Government dismissed the claims as “clearly nonsense”, adding: “Scotland has a strong track record in supporting people seeking asylum, despite the UK Government and Home Office’s ridiculous approach.”
A £100million scheme to house refugees in cabins on board M/S Victoria in Leith, Edinburgh, has been extended to next June.
M/S Ambition, which hosts refugees in Glasgow, is due to enter dry dock in Glasgow in April for maintenance.
But figures show that there were an average of 232 vacant cabins on the vessels between October and November.
Officials recorded 364 empty on October 5, in contrast to 162 on November 9.
Stats also reveal there were some 4,741 people in 2,495 hotel rooms and 2,247 in 1,172 cabins on the passenger liners as of October 12.
But it’s understood not every arrival needs accommodation, with some refugees finding their own digs or being placed without the help of a government agency.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said of their efforts to aid refugees fleeing the war: “We are still seeing displaced people arriving in Scotland from Ukraine.
“And we need to ensure we have accommodation available for those who need it until they are matched to volunteer hosts or find suitable longer-term accommodation.
"Scotland is providing sanctuary to more displaced people from Ukraine per head of population than any other part of the UK, with more than 22,000 people with a Scottish sponsor having arrived.
“We don’t want anybody to spend any longer than necessary in temporary accommodation.”
We told yesterday how Scottish prosecutors are set to help nail Russian war criminals.
Law chiefs have agreed to take testimony from tragic Ukrainian refugees now based here.
SNP Justice Secretary Keith Brown insisted Scottish authorities will do their bit to make sure Putin’s sickening war criminals are brought to justice.
Statements from refugees who have fled Ukraine could be passed abroad to form part of any tribunal into the invasion, which began in February.
SNP minister Mr Brown, a former Royal Marine and Falklands War veteran, said: “Atrocities have been committed in Ukraine and the perpetrators of war crimes must be brought to trial.
“We will always stand with Ukraine and we support the work of our independent justice system as part of international efforts against crimes in that country.”
Tory MSP Jamie Greene said: “It’s right and important that Scottish prosecutors should fulfil their legal obligations and attempt to obtain justice for the victims of Putin’s brutal and illegal war.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The Crown Office added: “Scotland’s prosecutors will assist the Ukrainians in any way possible within the legal framework and mechanisms for support which exist in our legal obligations and conventions.”
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at [email protected] or call 0141 420 5200