Yorkshire council opposes Home Office decision to use second hotel in city for asylum seekers

Hull Council found out about the arrangement between Home Office contractor Mears and a privately-owned hotel when room bookings for local homeless families were cancelled in the run up to Christmas.

Council leader Daren Hale asked why Hull is being subject to “unfair and excessive” demands when many other parts of the country are making no contribution towards a “national responsibility”.

He said they had no control or influence over the decision and did not support it. There has been no extra funding from the Government to help the council.

Councillors at the Labour-run authority previously criticised a decision to house asylum seekers in the Royal Hotel in Ferensway while their applications to remain in the country are processed. It is thought that around 180 adults are currently housed there.

The second hotel is housing up to 80 women and children but has d no communal areas or break-out space and no on site garden.

Councillor Hale said Hull had a proud history as a City of Sanctuary welcoming refugees, but the situation was becoming “unsustainable” alongside pressures on services as a result of Covid-19. He said children disproportionately needed access to health and education.

He added: “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.

“Hull 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.”

The Home Office said they were dealing with an "unprecedented" increase in asylum cases but they continued to provide "safe" and "secure" accommodation.

A spokesperson said: “Hull City Council’s support for asylum seekers and refugees has been, and remains very welcome and we continue to engage with them on plans to house asylum seekers.

“The Nationality and Borders Bill will deliver the most comprehensive reform in decades to fix the broken asylum system. It will make the system fairer and more effective so that we can better protect and support those in genuine need of asylum.”