The scheme is just one example of a growing list of taxpayer-funded freebies apparently dished out to small boat migrants by local councils across the country.
Migrants arriving in the UK in flimsy dinghies (Image: Getty)
Migrants crossing the English Channel illegally in small boats are being offered a range of cushy perks by Labour-run councils, including, ironically, dramatic reductions on the hire of dinghies, an eye-opening new probe has indicated. Many of the arrivals will have arrived in the UK aboard the flimsy vessels — but at Rother Valley Country Park’s three lakes, they can now benefit from a 30% discount, which cuts the cost of a 90-minute double-handed dinghy or sailing boat rental from £20.70 to £14.80.
The scheme is just one example of a growing list of taxpayer-funded freebies dished out to small boat migrants by local councils across the country, often run by Labour. Birmingham City Council, for instance, offers £1 kids’ tickets to Aston Villa matches when accompanied by a paying adult. It also subsidises swimming, martial arts, trampolining, golf, gymnastics, and football courses for asylum seekers.
Rother Valley Country Park in Yorkshire (Image: Wikicommons)
In Calderdale, West Yorkshire, migrants receive £15 off massages and discounted tickets at Bradford’s IMAX cinema, The Sun investigation revealed. Many living in publicly funded accommodation are permitted to use the Passport to Leisure card to access discounted weekend yoga sessions and pay a mere £1 less for theatre tickets.
Physiotherapy services in Halifax are also discounted, with asylum seekers eligible for £15 off an initial assessment and further savings on treatments and massages.
The perks extend beyond leisure activities. Labour-run Rotherham Council gives asylum seekers access to the Rothercard scheme, which is aimed at helping low-income families with bills and services such as pest control and waste disposal.
Roughly 500 asylum seekers in accommodation across South Yorkshire are believed to be eligible.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp (Image: Getty)
At Rother Valley Country Park, in an area where one in six residents live in poverty and council tax has just been raised by 3%, these discounts have sparked fury among critics.
Shadow Home Secretary Mr Philp slammed the scheme, calling it “shocking” that asylum seekers were receiving freebies such as discounts for water sports and dinghy hires while hardworking British taxpayers face cuts to local services.
Mr Philp said: “You could not make it up. Hard-working Brits are subsidising perks for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel, while at the same time seeing local services cut.
“Families are struggling to make ends meet and being hit with huge Labour tax rises, all to pay for handouts to illegal immigrants who have flouted our border laws and never paid a penny in tax.”
Former Tory minister Sir Alec Shelbrooke agreed, saying: “While everyone else has their benefits cut, asylum seekers are being pampered at taxpayers’ expense.”
Neither are the discounts limited to sports and leisure. An e-scooter company operating in cities like London and Bristol offers small boat migrants a 50% discount under an “equitable access” scheme, while UK veterans, NHS nurses, and firefighters only get a 20% reduction.
The disparity drew criticism from Tory MP Sir John Hayes, who insisted veterans and pensioners should have priority for such schemes.
Richmond Council in London provides asylum seekers with free swimming lessons and reduced-price Spanish and French language courses.
Kingston Council offers 50% off leisure activities, while Wandsworth Council has discounts on e-bikes and even half-price weddings and civil partnerships at its town hall.
The Home Office runs around 210 migrant hotels at a cost of over £3 billion a year.
While the Government has pledged to close all these hotels by 2029, it has continued to open new ones this year.
Rotherham Borough Council said: “The Rothercard scheme offers support to all residents on low incomes. We would not generally expect asylum seekers to be accessing sports facilities like Rother Valley Country Park.
“Rothercard also helps with the costs of services like pest control and waste disposal, which we would want to ensure were available to everyone who lives here.”
Calderdale Council’s Danielle Durrans said: “The Passport to Leisure scheme offers discounted access to sport, cultural and leisure facilities.”
