Hastings council concern over migrants placed in hotels 'without any prior notification'

Hastings Borough Council said it will be writing to the Home Office to highlight the authority’s concerns.

It said it had not been consulted on the move by the Home Office.

The Home Office said there were more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels in the UK, as reported by the BBC this week.

Cllr Paul Barnett, leader of Hastings Borough Council, said: “Hastings has a proud record of welcoming people into the town who have been forced to flee their native countries due to conflict and repression. In the last few months, for example, we have welcomed Ukrainian refugees into our town. Residents and local community and voluntary sector groups have been working hard to help these new residents settle and feel at home here.

“However we are concerned about the latest placements being made directly by the Government in hotels within Hastings. This has been done without any prior notification to either the borough council or any of the support agencies in the town.

“Our immediate concern is obviously for individuals who have been placed in this accommodation and we are pressing the Government and their agents to clarify how they intend to support them locally and how long they expect them to reside there. We are also keen to understand what longer term dispersal plan they intend to put in place. We understand that this is not an isolated case and that many other towns across the country, including some in other parts of East Sussex, are being similarly used to accommodate this group.

“I will be writing to the Home Secretary outlining our concerns, and of those raised by others, with a view to better understanding the Government’s position and plans.”

Earlier this month, the Home Office told the BBC that the number of people arriving in the UK who required accommodation had reached ‘record levels’ and was putting the asylum system ‘under incredible strain’.

A spokesperson said: "The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable - there are currently more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6m a day. The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation."