Asylum seekers to leave most of Lincolnshire's hotels

At one point, about 300 asylum seekers were living in hotels in Skegness, council leader Craig Leyland said

The government is reducing the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels in Lincolnshire, a council has said.

Only one hotel in Skegness will be used after April and contracts to use others will end.

Leader of East Lindsey District Council, Craig Leyland, said he was pleased the matter was "now drawing to a close".

The Home Office said that people living in the hotels would "be moving to other parts of our asylum estate".

Conservative councillor Mr Leyland said that at one point about 300 people were living in hotels in Skegness.

The policy had caused controversy with some 400 people attending a public meeting in November 2022.

Concerns were raised about the impact on businesses in the Lincolnshire seaside resort and the extra strain on health and social services.

'Big impact'

Mr Leyland said the council had made representations to the government and considered legal action after the "very emotional and difficult meeting".

"Community cohesion, that was a real issue for us," he said.

"On the one hand, we're trying to balance our humanitarian responsibilities and, equally, understanding the concerns of residents."

The government is planning to house asylum seekers at the former RAF Scampton base near Lincoln

Claire Ainge-Cross, whose family runs a guest house in the resort, said that people had cancelled bookings when they heard about other hotels being used to house asylum seekers.

She said the latest news "should make a big impact" on the town and businesses.

"Hopefully we'll get more of the families coming back to Skegness and making it what it was," she said.

A Home Office spokesperson said the government was working with the council and accommodation providers "to manage the exit process in a way which limits the impact on partners and service users alike".

"We are making significant progress with moving asylum seekers out of hotels, which cost UK taxpayers £8.2m a day," the spokesperson said.

"We have already exited the first 50 and we will exit more in the coming months."

The Home Office has not said where the hotel residents had, or will be, moved to.

Elsewhere, the government is planning to house up to 2,000 asylum seekers at the former RAF Scampton near Lincoln.

The move has been met with strong opposition and the local council is taking legal action.