MPs criticise hotel asylum seeker plans
Three Counties Hotel closed to the public last week
- Published
MPs in Herefordshire have hit out at plans that could see up to 120 asylum seekers placed in a hotel.
The 60-room Three Counties Hotel in Hereford closed to the public last week and will be used as temporary accommodation for migrants under a 12-month contract with the Home Office.
However, local MP Jesse Norman said it would affect "highly-stretched" public services.
The Home Office said the UK's asylum system was "under incredible strain" and it was taking immediate action to reduce a backlog in application decisions.
Mr Norman, Conservative MP for Hereford, said the Home Office had "decided to press ahead... on a very rapid timescale", which he described as a "great disappointment".
He said the decision was taken without detailed analysis on the impact on the area.
"Herefordians will always want to do the right thing, and over the last few years this county has stepped forward to support refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine," he said.
"But it is also essential to consider the impact on vital local public services."
Weddings and conferences have previously been held at the 60-bedroom hotel
Many councils across England have criticised the lack of consultation over how hotels are identified.
Sir Bill Wiggin, Tory MP for North Herefordshire, said he was angry how migrants and people in the county were being treated.
He also called for asylum applications to be speeded up.
Jane Straker, from the Herefordshire City of Sanctuary group, said giving migrants a refuge in the city was the right thing to do, despite the demand on services.
Last week the Bishop of Hereford criticised some of the language he had seen online surrounding the hotel plan.
The government has a statutory duty to accommodate asylum seekers, and has seen a large rise in the number of migrants crossing the Channel in recent years.
Last week, the government set out proposals for legislation designed to address small-boat crossings.
"The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain," the Home Office said.
The use of hotels for this purpose was "unacceptable", a spokesperson said, adding there were currently more than 45,500 asylum seekers in hotels.
"We are taking immediate action to bring the asylum backlog down. We’ve set out new plans to clear the initial asylum decision backlog of legacy cases by the end of 2023.”