Home office 'not listening' to asylum hotel concerns

Spelthorne Borough Council leader Joanne Sexton said residents were "very upset"

A council leader has said the Home Office is "not engaging" and "not listening" to concerns about a hotel in Surrey housing asylum seekers.

Spelthorne Borough Council leader Joanne Sexton told BBC Radio Surrey she had "sent so many letters" to the government after families seeking asylum housed at the Stanwell Hotel were replaced with exclusively male asylum seekers.

A Home Office spokesperson said it was committed to closing all asylum hotels and was "working closely with local authorities".

A report published by the Home Affairs Committee earlier said billions had been spent on asylum accommodation, amidst a rise in demand.

Sexton said she kept "reaching out" to ministers to find out why the decision had been made without proper consultation.

"I mean, I've sent so many letters, I can't tell you, I can't remember now [how many], I think I've lost track," she said.

Community tensions

The council leader said she had urged ministers to provide "without further delay, the criteria that inform the decision-making to alter the cohort of the Stanwell Hotel, along with the government's local plans".

She said many residents were "very, very upset" and that officials were "doing what they want to, they are not engaging with us, they are not listening to us".

She added: "The community tensions remain so high now and they are likely to escalate further unless a commitment is made to permanently close this site."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We have committed to close all asylum hotels and to achieve this, we will look at a range of more appropriate sites like disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites so that we can reduce the impact on communities.

"We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery and more detail will be set out in due course."