Banbury migrant hotel staff fully paid, owner says

Sacked staff staged a protest outside the hotel

A hotel owner who was accused by an MP of failing to pay sacked staff has said workers have been compensated in full.

MP Victoria Prentis previously said Whately Hall Hotel in Banbury, Oxfordshire, should not use a Home Office contract as an excuse not to pay staff who were losing their jobs.

Owner Ravi Ruparelia said he had taken out a £100,000 loan to cover all of the money owed.

He said the hotel was now being used to house "refugee children".

MP Victoria Prentis previously said the hotel's behaviour was "unacceptable"

Staff previously said they learned of the Home Office contract on 25 November, when the hotel was cleared and made ready for the new occupants.

Some former workers staged a protest outside the venue on 1 December, saying they were owed November wages as well as redundancy, notice and holiday pay.

Ms Prentis, the Attorney General and MP for North Oxfordshire, previously said: "It is unacceptable that those at the Whately Hall have found themselves in this position, particularly at this time of year."

Whately Hall Hotel has taken a contract to house refugee children, its owner said

Mr Ruparelia said many staff had been offered new jobs while a minority had taken redundancy after his firm, Whately (Op) Ltd, was placed in the hands of liquidators.

He said: "The normal course of action [for staff] would be to go through the Insolvency Service.

"But we wanted to make sure they got all of their money before Christmas."

Mr Ruparelia said the hotel was now owned through a "complex arrangement" with his firm Whately (Prop) Ltd.

Former head chef Jordan Blencowe, who organised the protest and spoke to Ms Prentis on 30 November, confirmed that he had been fully paid.