New update on former DWP building Mexford House and migrants claims

Rumours are persisting that former DWP building Mexford House in Bispham is to be turned into accommodation for migrants.

However, a new update appears to have finally shut down speculation that the building on Mexford Avenue is to be used for asylum seekers.

The sprawling site is currently being turned into flats after Blackpool Council gave plans the go ahead two years ago.

The latest claims about the building appeared on a local social media site last week.

Additionally, the Blackpool Gazette was contacted by a man who said he worked at the site and had been told it was “reportedly being renovated into new migrant accommodation.”

The speculation was dismissed as “fake news” by Blackpool South MP Chris Webb but rumours continued.

New information

Now Serco, the private contractor for the UK Home Office which provides essential services such as housing and facility management for migrants , has provided new information.

Serco said after inquiries were made by the Blackpool Gazette: “Mexford House is not a building that we are pursuing nor been offered.”

It is the first time that Serco has addressed the issue of migrants at Mexford  House.

Last week Cllr Jim O’Neill, Reform UK’s Leader on the council, confirmed that emails circulating locally showed private landlords in the town were being actively recruited by Serco.

He called on Blackpool Council to immediately pause the migrant dispersal contract for Blackpool, as the town was one of the most deprived in the country and was not in te best position to accommodate the extra housing requirement.

Serco responded and confirmed that renting dispersed accommodation was the most appropriate type of accommodation for asylum seekers at least cost to the taxpayer compared to hotel rooms.

However, MP Mr Webb said: “Serco’s engagement with private landlords is part of the standard process used to manage normal fluctuations in dispersed accommodation. It is not connected to the closure of the Metropole Hotel.

“Constant claims circulating online about new contracts or new asylum sites are simply inaccurate. No new site in Blackpool has been earmarked or contracted for asylum accommodation. “

What is happening at Mexford House?

In June 2024, a planning application for the “use of premises (Mexford House) as 120 self contained flats with associated parking, access, bike store and bin store” was approved by planners at Blackpool Council, with a number of conditions.

This scheme replaced an earlier application which involved a smaller number of flats, some 78 apartments, reduced from a still earlier scheme for 87 homes.

Planning documents showed the building would retain its three floors under the new plans, with each floor containing a variety of flats.

The application was submitted on behalf of Manchester-based Mexford Group Ltd, understood to be the owners of the property.