More than £1million has been spent on SIM Cards for asylum seekers in the UK since 2020. This follows the uncovering of at least 200 government contracts amounting to £6.6 billion being spent on schemes for asylum seekers and refugees. This includes befriending programs, sporting activities and research projects.
For those arriving in Britain and placed in accommodation without access to WiFi, Atamis Ltd issued a £560,000 SIM card contract to supply data usage between June 2020 and March 2022.
£1,088,000 spent on SIM Cards for asylum seekers (Image: Daily Express)
Following this, the Home Office awarded a £528,000 contract to British Telecommunications Ltd in March 2024, continuing until 2026. An estimated initial order of 2,000 SIM cards was placed, with each being required to have “at least 60GB data” and no fair use policy restrictions.
For comparison, Brits used an average of 8GB of data per month in 2022 according to Ofcom.
The contract goes on to state that supplies should be delivered to “at least eight designated addresses across the UK” and should be capable of meeting “all the varying sizes of SIM cards that are used within mobile technology”.
The contract also says the SIM cards are only required for 6 months however, due to certain framework agreements, the minimum term of use is actually 24 months with an option to terminate at any point with a 30-day notice period.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is required by law to provide support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, but we are determined to ensure value for money in all future contracts, and have introduced new controls to minimise non-essential spending which were not in place when the majority of these contracts were signed under the previous government.“Overall, we are determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly, and it remains our commitment to cut the costs of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels over time.”
Daily Express contacted Atamis Ltd for comment.
The Daily Express has outlined the most “bizarre” contracts:
- Friendship services in Bristol, £211,200.
- Friendship services in the London Borough of Newham, £60,000.
- Friendship services in Hull, £37,560.
- Sports activities for the Wethersfield Asylum Accommodation, £20,620.
- Integration activities in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, £105,000.
- Activities coordinator in Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council, £27,070.
- Easter Holiday Activities in Redditch Borough & Bromsgrove District Councils, £42,000.
- Sandwich deliveries in the Croydon Intake Unit, £34,000.
- Sandwich deliveries in the Kent Intake Unit, £13,650.
- ‘Woke’ research study on improving asylum support and needs – £229,920.
- ‘Woke’ research study into the lived experiences of refugee and asylum seeking, £225,090.
- ‘Woke’ research study into the decision-making of asylum seekers, £199,337.45.
- ‘Woke’ research study into international approaches to promoting the integration, £10,4751.51.
- SIM Cards for asylum seekers in accommodation without WiFi – £560,000.
- SIM Cards for data usage only for asylum seekers, £528,000.
- Bus passes for refugees in Bristol, £264,000.
- Bus passes for refugees in Bristol, £90,000.
- Bus passes for refugees in Bristol, £72,300.
- English language classes for resettled refugees in Nottingham, £546,760.
- English language classes for resettled refugees in Herefordshire, £434,226.
- English language classes for refugees in Coventry, £116,000.
- English language classes for refugees in Torbay, £72,480.
- Awareness training in Sunderland for council staff who engage with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, £26,364.
