Wisbech is the wrong town for migrant hotel plan, court told

The town of Wisbech has been described as an area with a history of exploitation of migrants and inappropriate to house a refugee hostel

A council is trying to prevent a hotel being used to house migrants in a town with "a history of migrant exploitation" and "organised crime", a court heard.

Earlier this month Fenland District Council in Cambridgeshire sought an injunction against the Home Office.

It hoped to prevent migrants being sent to a hotel in Wisbech.

Lawyers for the defendants, Serco and two other companies, said the council's application should be dismissed.

The High Court hearing in London will see the judge give his ruling on Thursday.

A barrister representing Fenland District Council said legal action had been taken under planning legislation.

"The claimant seeks an injunction restraining the defendants from using, or facilitating the use of, the [hotel] as a hostel for the purposes of accommodating asylum seekers or at all," said Craig Howell Williams KC.

The barrister said the hotel had previously served tourists and business travellers.

He raised a number of concerns about the welfare of migrants and said Wisbech had "significant deprivation", "organised crime" and a "history of migrant exploitation".

The London court was also told the firm Serco had been contracted by the Home Office to find "initial accommodation" for migrants and was working with more than 100 hotels around the country.

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Serco was accommodating an average of more than 1,500 migrants a month in initial accommodation, a barrister representing the company told Mr Justice Holgate.

"This process normally takes around 21 days, after which the asylum seekers are moved to dispersed accommodation, where they will stay until they receive a decision from the Home Office regarding their status," said Jenny Wigley KC.

"Under the terms of its contract, Serco is required to house asylum seekers on the same day as the Home Office instructs it to."

In the single week ending 13 November 2022, Serco was required to find initial accommodation for 529 people, said the KC.

"Serco currently has responsibility to house some 36,000 asylum seekers and the number is increasing rapidly," said Ms Wigley.

They said migrants have to be accommodated and disputed welfare concerns raised by the authority.

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