Govt warned to stop making ‘unfair’ demands as second city hotel booked for asylum seekers

‘WE HAVE NOT BEEN CONSULTED’: Coun Daren Hale

The leader of Hull City Council has written to the Home Secretary demanding the Government reviews its approach to supporting asylum seekers after being told a second city hotel will be used to accommodate those seeking refuge.

The Britannia Royal Hotel in Ferensway is already housing asylum seekers, and now the city council has revealed another facility has been earmarked for asylum seekers awaiting assessment - a decision the local authority has not been consulted over, and which it says it does not support.

City council leader Daren Hale has now written to Priti Patel, also asking the Home Secretary why Hull is facing these “unfair and excessive demands”, and calling for funding to support the commitment.

Coun Hale said: “As Hull continues to cope with the huge pressures Covid is placing on our communities and public services, Hull City Council has been told by the Home Office that a second hotel in the city will be used to accommodate asylum seekers awaiting assessment.

“We have no control or influence over this decision and do not support it.

“As a ‘City of Sanctuary’, we have a long and proud history of welcoming and supporting people seeking refuge, but the situation is becoming unsustainable, both for the council and, crucially, for the individuals concerned.

“On this basis, I have written to the Home Secretary to express our concerns and to ask why these unfair and excessive demands are continually being placed on Hull, whilst many other areas around the country are making no contribution to supporting this national responsibility.

“Hull and our partners need additional direct Government financial assistance to help provide the services that these vulnerable people need, but none has been provided by the Government.

“Hull is very fortunate to have a number of voluntary and community organisations and members of the public willing to help, but it is not right that the Government expects these groups to always act without the funding they need.

“Further, it is unfair for the Government to always rely on the council’s existing budget - which has been cut year after year since 2010 - with our hard-pressed local council taxpayers and our other local services being put under greater pressure as a result.

“It is also completely unacceptable that these decisions continue to be made centrally without any meaningful consultation or discussion with local councils - and minimal information.”

He added: “This approach is failing to provide these vulnerable people with the support they need.

“This is not simply about providing accommodation and help to individual adults. We are increasingly supporting families and young people who, alongside accommodation, need access to education, health, and wider community services. This is why extra Government funding needs to be provided to local authorities.

 “Over the past two years, Hull City Council has made several direct appeals to the Home Office expressing our concerns and frustrations about their approach, which appears to be solely based upon where sufficiently cheap hotels and follow-on dispersal accommodation can be sourced.

“None of the council’s correspondence has been adequately responded to and, in some cases, no response has been received at all. Hull’s MPs have also been making representation on behalf of the city on these issues.

“Hull City Council and the city’s three MPs are calling for the Home Office review their approach to this national crisis as matter of utmost priority.

“As has been done recently with Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC), the Government must ensure that all areas of the country play their part in supporting asylum seekers as they go through the assessment and dispersal process; and Government funding is essential to provide the services and support that they need.”