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Asylum profiteers 'The Angel Group' are being investigated for fraud

Expose the Asylum Profiteers! | 04.08.2005 13:36 | Migration | Birmingham

'The Angel Group' is a corporate housing provider contracted by the Home Office's National Asylum Support Service (NASS) to house refugees. The Angel Group earns millions of pounds annually through government contracts for housing asylum seekers around the country. The Angel Group also sponsor a week long event during Refugee Week in Birmingham called 'Celebrating Sanctuary' to the tune of £50,000.

The Angel Group have already been exposed by the local press in Leeds for accommodating refugees in 'squalid conditions' reportedly without gas or hot water.

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2005/06/314246.html

A new investigation by the Home Office is investigating claims of financial irregularities including fraud. This has been prompted by inquiries by the Guardian newspaper, focusing on claims that the London-based Angel Group charged the Home Office and Leeds City Council for the same properties.

From the Guardian article:

'Company records, internal emails and testimony from former Angel employees also suggest the company was paid for accommodation that was unfit for habitation or for which it had no keys. Records further suggest Angel claimed discounts on council tax to which it was not entitled in Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.'

'Based in Docklands in London, Angel has had contracts with Nass for five years, mainly in Yorkshire and the north-east. Income from its houses, flats and hostels largely contributes to a turnover of around £20m a year. It was awarded a new contract in May for up to 15 months.'

'The group, with more than 50 subsidiaries, is 100% owned by 48-year-old Julia Davey. In 2003 she paid herself a salary of £458,000 as well as collecting nearly £1m in dividends.'

'The allegations are that:

· For seven months last year Angel Group double-booked properties by renting out the same houses to both Leeds city council for the homeless and Nass

· The company claimed council tax relief on the basis that properties were unoccupied - even though they were available on the Nass register and technically available for asylum seekers

· Angel received payments from Nass for properties in Newcastle which it later found to be uninhabitable or for which it had no keys. Angel staff referred to these as "ghost properties".'

'Inquiry into firm's asylum contracts' Wednesday August 3, 2005
 http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1541406,00.html

Expose the Asylum Profiteers!

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

Celebrating Sanctuary and Angel

23.08.2005 22:14

I am very disappointed tohear that somebody like angel gives money to the celebrating santuary event in birmingham. why can they not get money from somewhere else or even do it for free?

why do people get paid so much money to do these things?

Azekel

Azekel


Angel Group - our experience

07.07.2006 12:00

We are an asylum and refugee support group Kirklees Refugees and Friends Together (KRAFT) based in Huddersfield, founded in 2000 in response to the HO dispersal policy. We have assisted thousands of asylum seekers in our LA area and beyond. We are independent and work together, locals and asylum seekers, to solve the problems encountered every day by asylum seekers. We act as advocates on behalf of asylum seekers dealing with all aspects of bureaucracy, including housing providers, of which Angel Group is just one.
Since c. 2002 Angel Group, and particularly Julia Davey have acted as our sponsors, providing a substantial monthly grant towards running costs. Without this we could not have survivived since it is hard to get funding for basis things like phones, faxes, photocopiers etc. During this period we have not compromised our independence and have not been asked to do so by Angel Group. We have continued to put asylum seekers first and got Angel to act in the best interest of asylum seekers despite NASS opposition.
Most of us are unpaid volunteers and the organisation is run on a direct democracy principle uniting locals with asylum seekers in the struggle against racism and the effects of HO policy.
There is no reason why Angel should have supported us, alone of all the housing providers. Thousands of people have made money out of the crazy asylum system. If someone sees fit to put some back in to help groups or projects then they deserve recognition for this. Without Angel we would have collapsed and thousands of asylum seekers would have been adversely affected.

Alan Brooke KRAFT founder and trustee. 01484 666719. 24 Queen St, HD1 2SP

Alan Brooke
mail e-mail: pambye-5@hotmail.com