Seafront hotel not suitable for asylum seekers - MP

Chris Webb said the Metropole was only supposed to be used as accommodation for asylum seekers for a few months

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has called for an end to using the Metropole Hotel to accommodate asylum seekers.

The housing of families in the seafront hotel – the only one in Blackpool to be sited on the beach side of the tram tracks – has proved controversial since it was first announced in 2021.

Opponents of the project say the hotel, close to North Pier, should be used for tourism, with a number of protesters vocal in their opposition to those housed there during countrywide disturbances in August.

Mr Webb has stressed he is not opposed to the asylum seekers, but believes the hotel is unsuitable as a place to house them, and says Blackpool Council shares his concerns.

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has said he is not opposed to the asylum seekers

The MP said more fitting accommodation, of a type that is suitable for families, should be found, adding that the Metropole was originally only supposed to provide temporary accommodation for a few months.

He stated: “I have had a crucial meeting with the asylum minister, Dame Angela Eagle MP DBE, to address the pressing concerns that Blackpool Council and I have regarding the accommodation of asylum-seeking families at the Metropole Hotel.

“Initially, the previous Conservative government assured us that the hotel would be used for only three months - an assurance that has long since evaporated now we’re passing its third year.

“With the new Labour government actively processing over 100,000 asylum seekers to clear the backlog and eliminate the use of hotels for temporary housing, it is imperative that we take decisive action.

“The Metropole Hotel and location are wholly inadequate for this purpose, and the minister [Dame Anglela] is now urgently reviewing the contract established by the previous government to ensure that we can terminate its use as quickly as possible.”

Around 220 asylum seekers were moved into The Metropole, part of the Britannia Hotels chain, in September 2021- despite council concerns public services were already under pressure.

In November 2022, former Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Paul Maynard told the Commons the Metropole should be among the first hotels to be vacated.

The Home Office has previously said the government's initial focus will be on hotels which can be exited quickly, where is is likely to have the greatest impact on communities and where it is costing taxpayers most money.

Data suggests government spending on hotels for asylum seekers had reached as much as £8m a day.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has approached Blackpool Council, the Home Office and Britannia Hotels for a comment on Mr Webb’s recent statement.