Hotel to stop housing asylum seekers, MP says

3 hours ago

Stuart RustSouth of England

News image — Protesters have staged multiple demonstrations outside the hotel

Getty Images A group of protesters, many of whom are waving Union and St George's flags, march down a road. In the background The Roundhouse Hotel can be seen. — Protesters have staged multiple demonstrations outside the hotel

A hotel will stop being used to house asylum seekers as part of government plans to reduce reliance on the facilities, an MP has said.

The Roundhouse Hotel in Bournemouth - one of three hotels used for asylum accommodation in the town - will be emptied by October, Bournemouth West Labour MP Jessica Toale has been told.

She welcomed the news and said she would work with the community and landlord to bring the site "back to life as something we can all be proud of".

The Home Office said the population in asylum hotels has fallen by nearly 20% in the last year and by 45% since the peak under the previous government. Britannia Hotels have also been approached for comment.

Protesters have held frequent demonstrations at the site, opposing its use as asylum accommodation.

Getty Images Jessica Toale, a woman with short grey hair, is pictured smiling at the camera in a posed photograph. She is outside, with out-of-focus grass and trees in the background behind her. — Jessica Toale MP had promised residents asylum hotels in the town would close

Toale said she had worked closely with ministers to ensure Bournemouth was prioritised in government plans to end the use of asylum hotels.

"This is an important step forward," she said.

"I made a promise to residents in Bournemouth West during the election that all the asylum hotels in the area will close. I am pleased that we are fulfilling that promise."

"I will continue working with the Home Office until the remaining asylum hotels in Bournemouth are closed and our town is no longer carrying a disproportionate share of hotel-based asylum accommodation," she added.

The Home Office announced the closure of 11 asylum hotels in April, and 20 in June, bringing the number of asylum hotels in use to below 170 down from nearly 400 at its peak.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This government will close all asylum hotels, moving asylum seekers into basic accommodation including ex-military sites.

"The population in asylum hotels has fallen by nearly 20% in the last year and by 45% since the peak under the previous government – helping reduce costs by nearly £1 billion."