Bibby Stockholm one year on: The legacy of the asylum barge

The former mayor of Portland mounted a legal challenge against the Home Office because she believed the barge did not comply with planning rules.

Carralyn Parkes, who brought the case as a local resident, served papers to the government in August 2023.

In May 2024, a High Court judge ruled that the barge was not subject to council planning law because it was not on land.

Parkes said the legal challenge was not a waste of time.

“We lost the battle but we won the war,” she said.

“The Home Secretary and Rishi Sunak, the former Prime Minister, wanted to see barges and cruises ships up and down the country accommodating asylum seekers.

“But, because of the stance that we took and the fuss that we made over the legal challenge, we stopped that.

“Whilst we didn’t stop the Bibby Stockholm, we did stop Bibby Stockholms up and down the country and I am proud of that.”