Council to query Home Office decision to more than double asylum seekers accommodated in Shrewsbury

Shropshire Council says it is to question the decision by the Home Office to increase the numbers of asylum seekers currently accommodated at a Shrewsbury hotel from 67 to 186.

Its environmental health team believes the maximum limit for the hotel is a significantly lower number of guests.

Council leader Lezley Picton said while it would continue to do what it could to make Shropshire a safe and peaceful place for everyone who lived in the county, the council had serious concerns about the hotel's capacity and any additional pressure the increase may have on local services.

Councillor Picton said: "Like all other parts of the country, Shropshire has a part to play in supporting the dispersal of asylum seekers arriving in the UK and the country’s obligations to those seeking asylum. All local authorities are involved in this response.

"Shropshire Council has had no direct involvement in the decision of where asylum seekers are put up in the county or in what numbers. This is a decision of the Home Office and its contractors Serco."

She said the council had been informed that a decision had been taken by the Home Office to increase the numbers of asylum seekers currently accommodated at a Shrewsbury hotel from 67 to 186.

"We do not know when this will happen, nor the age, gender or nationality of any new arrivals," she said.

"However, we do have serious concerns about the hotel’s capacity to accommodate such an increase as well as any additional pressure this may bring to bear on local services for which we receive no additional funding."

Councillor Picton said the council’s environmental health team visited the hotel on Thursday.

"We believe the maximum limit for the hotel is a significantly lower number of guests. The council is communicating this to the Home Office and asking them to clarify how they have arrived at the numbers they are suggesting.

"In the meantime, we will continue to ensure that everyone involved in accommodating asylum seekers in Shropshire is doing so correctly and complies with agreed standards, and that when individuals are accommodated, this happens in as safe and well managed a way as possible for everyone involved including the local community.

"While we are not happy with this decision to increase the numbers of people in this hotel, we will be seeking confirmation from the Home Office’s contractors and the hotel’s management that they will be taking action to comply with all the necessary planning and licensing requirements.

"Outside of this, the council has no further powers. However, we all have a role to play in doing all we can to make Shropshire a safe and peaceful place for everyone who lives here."

A spokesperson for the Home Office said it did not comment on commercial arrangements for individual sites used for asylum accommodation.

"We engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation and work to ensure arrangements are safe for hotel residents and local people.

"We are working closely to listen to the local communities’ views and reduce the impact of these sites, including through providing onsite security and financial support.

"We continue to ensure the accommodation provided is safe, secure, leaves no one destitute and is appropriate for an individual’s needs."

“We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £6 million a day.

“All asylum seekers in hotels are provided with full board accommodation with three meals a day served as well as all other essentials, including cash payments where eligible. Asylum seekers are not detained at hotels and are free to leave their accommodation.”