The Home Office is scrapping a controversial policy that provided free taxis for asylum seekers travelling to GP appointments, in a bid to slash a massive £15.8 million transport bill.
Expensive journeys prompt urgent review
The decision comes after a BBC investigation uncovered that migrants were travelling huge distances at the taxpayer's expense for routine medical checkups. In one particularly egregious case, an asylum seeker billed the Home Office £600 for a 250-mile journey to see a GP for a check-up on his knee.
This revelation prompted Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to launch an urgent review of the system. She has now confirmed that the unrestricted use of taxis will be abolished from February.
Currently, asylum seekers receive a weekly bus pass but have been forced to use taxis for any NHS appointments, which are automatically booked through their hotel receptions.
New rules for exceptional circumstances only
Under the new, stricter rules, taxi use will be reserved for rare cases such as disability, serious illness, or pregnancy. Furthermore, any journey requiring a taxi will now need explicit sign-off from the Home Office itself, removing the automatic booking process.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told BBC News: 'I am ending the unrestricted use of taxis by asylum seekers for hospital appointments, authorising them only in the most exceptional circumstances.' She added, 'I will continue to root out waste as we close every single asylum hotel.'
Part of a wider crackdown on asylum costs
This move is part of a broader government effort to clamp down on asylum costs. Officials stated that ending these taxi services will save taxpayers more money, adding to the £74 million already recovered from various service providers.
The government has pledged to end the use of expensive asylum hotels by the next election, aiming to shift towards larger, alternative accommodation sites. However, the number of asylum seekers in hotels has actually risen, reaching 36,273 at the end of September—the highest level in nearly two years.
This increase contributed to a total of 111,651 people receiving taxpayer-funded asylum support. Meanwhile, the Home Office reported a record 110,051 asylum claims in the year to September, a 13% increase on the previous year and a new record high.
Plans to house migrants in military barracks, including sites in Inverness and East Sussex, have been stalled as the locations were not deemed ready or safe, highlighting the ongoing challenges in the government's accommodation strategy.
