🔎 Debunking Darren Grimes’ Misleading Claims About Asylum Seekers in County Durham¶

On July 14th, 2025, Darren Grimes — recently elected as Reform UK councillor for Annfield Plain & Tanfield — posted on social media:

“As your Reform UK councillor in Annfield Plain & Tanfield, I’m not sitting on my hands while the Home Office and Yvette Cooper’s asylum contractor Mears turn our streets into migrant holding pens… primed for cramming in illegal channel-crossers while locals queue for homes.”

This kind of rhetoric might be good for headlines, but it’s not good for the truth. As a councillor, Grimes has a duty to base his statements on facts, not fear. Let’s examine what’s real — and what’s not.

🔢 Claim 1: “Migrant holding pens” in our streets¶

This is pure hyperbole. The reality:

The Mears Group does indeed provide accommodation for asylum seekers under contract with the Home Office.
Such accommodation is private housing or hotels, subject to licensing and regulation — not “holding pens.”
People in these homes are not prisoners. They’re individuals fleeing conflict, persecution, or human rights abuses, exercising their legal right to claim asylum.

There are no cages, fences, or detention camps in residential streets. That language is designed to stoke fear.

🔢 Claim 2: “Illegal channel-crossers”¶

This phrase is both misleading and legally incorrect.

Under the 1951 Refugee Convention, it is not illegal to cross borders and claim asylum, even without documents.
The UK courts have repeatedly ruled that entering the country to claim asylum is not a criminal offence in itself.
Branding asylum seekers as “illegal” is inflammatory rhetoric, not fact.

Words matter — especially from those elected to represent us.

🔢 Claim 3: “Locals queue for homes while asylum seekers get priority”¶

This is the biggest and most damaging myth.

✅ Fact: Asylum seekers do not get social housing.

Accommodation is funded and provided by the Home Office via private contractors (like Mears).
Durham County Council’s own responses to Freedom of Information requests confirm:

“Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing. All social housing is allocated in line with the Durham Key Options Letting Policy.”

Asylum accommodation does not come out of the local housing stock used for residents.

So no local family is being pushed further down the housing list because an asylum seeker arrives. It’s simply not how the system works.

🔢 Claim 4: Risks of crime, rubbish, or “shredded community cohesion”¶

This claim is repeatedly made by anti-immigration politicians — but there’s no credible evidence behind it.

Multiple Home Office studies show asylum seekers are no more likely to commit crimes than anyone else.
Local councils, charities, and faith groups across County Durham work tirelessly to integrate new arrivals.
Problems like rubbish and parking exist in any area with high-density housing — it’s not exclusive to asylum accommodation.

Pitting neighbours against each other based on origin or migration status undermines community cohesion — it doesn’t protect it.

🔍 What about Mordue Terrace?¶

Darren refers to a specific house of multiple occupation (HMO) at Mordue Terrace, calling it:

“primed for cramming in illegal channel-crossers.”

Let’s clarify:

HMOs require licensing and inspection. Councils regulate how many people can live there.
There is no evidence that Mordue Terrace houses “illegal” migrants.
Even if asylum seekers live there, they are under the legal protection of the Home Office scheme — not random squatters or criminals.

Calling any home a “flophouse” simply because asylum seekers might live there is demonisation, not evidence.

📍 So Why Does This Matter?¶

When an elected councillor posts inflammatory language, it:

Spreads falsehoods about how the asylum system works
Stokes fear and resentment in communities
Risks making vulnerable people less safe

There’s nothing wrong with criticising government policies — that’s democracy. But doing so accurately and respectfully matters.

📆 The Facts¶

✔ Asylum seekers are not “illegal.” ✔ They do not jump the social housing queue. ✔ HMOs are regulated and licensed. ✔ No local council housing is given to asylum seekers. ✔ Refugees often contribute hugely to local communities, including here in County Durham.

We deserve councillors who deal in facts — not fear.

If you want to stand up for the truth — and support local refugees directly — please consider donating to Durham City of Sanctuary, who work tirelessly to welcome and support asylum seekers in our county:

👉 Durham City of Sanctuary 2024 JustGiving Campaign

Let’s prove County Durham’s community spirit is stronger than divisive rhetoric. #RefugeesWelcome #CountyDurham