Stoke-on-Trent: Asylum seekers being relocated out of hotel

Abdelkaver Mokhtara told the BBC through his friend and translator Mohamed Zehar that he and his family have become settled in Stoke-on-Trent

An asylum seeker who is having to relocate from a Staffordshire hotel said he wants to keep his family in the local area.

Abdelkaver Mokhtara has been living at the North Stafford Hotel in Stoke-on-Trent with his wife and two children for the past 12 months and are due to be relocated on Wednesday.

It is in line with the Home Office Hotel Exit Strategy according to Serco.

Mr Mokhtara said the flat in Birmingham he has been offered is unsuitable.

"It is a small flat with metal stairs," he told the BBC through his translator.

'They have friends here'

Alternatively, he has been offered another hotel in Wolverhampton but said: "My children go to school [in Stoke], they have friends here, my wife said she wants to stay in this area, in Stoke-on-Trent."

"It'd be like starting all over again," Mr Mokhtara added.

A statement from the Home Office confirmed that "accommodation is allocated on a no-choice basis and individuals may be moved to other locations in line with the Allocation of Accommodation guidance.

"We will work closely with accommodation providers and local authorities to manage the exit process in a way which limits the impact on partners and service users alike."

It added: "The Home Office continues to provide safe accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, as we work to end the use of hotels which are costing UK taxpayers £8.2million a day."

Asylum seekers are being relocated from the North Stafford Hotel on Wednesday

The government wants hotels to stop housing asylum seekers after a 20% drop in small boats crossing to the UK in 2023.

Now, the North Stafford Hotel is among the first 50 hotels in the UK to stop acting as housing for asylum seekers.

The Britannia Group of Hotels which runs North Stafford Hotel has also been contacted for comment.

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