Councillor and MP react to hotel asylum seeker plans in East Yorkshire

South Hunsley’s Cllr Margaret Corless said the Home Office did not inform locals about plans to use North Ferriby’s Humber View Hotel for accommodation, leaving them up in arms.

Hull North’s Diana Johnson, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the Government would need to clear a backlog of 100,000 asylum claims to stop using hotels.

A Home Office spokesperson said the asylum system was currently under incredible strain and hotels had to be used as a short term solution which now costs £5.6m a day.

The Home Office’s statement came in response to guests telling Hull Live their reservations had been cancelled at short notice due to the arrival of asylum seekers.

The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases or sites but added it was working to find appropriate accommodation for the 37,000 currently in hotels in the long term.

The Best Western hotel, in Ferriby High Road, declined to comment but its website does not allow bookings after Saturday, October 29 well into next year.

Local Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis was also contacted for comment.

Cllr Corless said she was shocked by the decision to put the asylum seekers in the hotel.

The Liberal Democrat said: “Local residents are up in arms at the way this has been done.

“It has caused a lot of anger and upset at the way it has been handled.

“We had heard rumours on the grapevine but there has been no public consultation.

“We understand they may be moving in asylum seekers from this Monday.

“The Hotel is far from any shops and local services and is totally unsuitable for housing young male adults.

“The Government has been criticised for taking ages to process asylum applications.

“The system is broken and needs a rethink.”

Dame Diana said the Government ultimately needed to take action to stop small boat crossings of the English Channel to make it so hotels are not needed in the future.

The Labour MP called on Home Secretary Suella Braverman and ministers to come before her select committee to talk about problems in the immigration system.

Dame Diana said in the Commons earlier this week: “The Home Affairs Select Committee has heard some very disturbing evidence about the chaos that currently exists in the immigration system in this country.”

The Home Office spokesperson said the Government also considered the use of hotels to house asylum seekers unacceptable.

The spokesperson said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels.

“The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.”