Fake asylum-seeker information dismissed as "irresponsible"

Letters making the claims have been distributed to some homes in the area, with the repeated on two community Facebook pages, in a move described as “totally irresponsible” by Barnsley Council.

The internet post suggested “up to 60 asylum seekers will soon be housed in Hoyland as part of the Home Office’s ‘dispersal’ programme” and identified apartments in the Hoyland Town Hall building as the location.

The information provoked huge interest in the community, with more than 600 people leaving response in less than 24 hours, on one site alone - mostly expressing concerns about the impact of such a move.

However, it has turned out to be entirely false.

The Home Office does not comment on individual cases, but it has been made clear that neither the Government, nor their agents who acquire property for placements in South Yorkshire, have been involved with such a plan.

Accommodating as many as 60 people in the building would have been a challenge, because planning permission was granted in 2019 for only 21 apartments, mostly one bedroomed and some of those were ‘studio’ apartments.

It is unclear what happened to the building after planning permission was granted.

The fake information went on to name a so-called contractor involved on behalf of the Government, and a security company which would “oversee the safeguarding of the premises”, in their words.

Barnsley Council has now confirmed: “A letter sharing false information about asylum seeker accommodation has been posted through letterboxes in Hoyland and shared by the My Hoyland and Hoyland Wise Facebook accounts.

“After liaising with the Home Office, we can confirm that the information in both the letter and social media posts is completely untrue.

“It is totally irresponsible for such material to be posted and shared without any fact-checking.

“It’s crucial that community pages take the time to verify information before sharing it on social media to a large audience - not everything you read is true, and it’s sometimes created to cause the spread of hate or to promote people’s personal agendas.

“We’re working with our partners to make sure everyone has the correct information.”