Great Yarmouth Council takes action to stop local hotels being used to house asylum seekers
They say it will impact the town's economy
Great Yarmouth Council is fighting to stop the government from using hotels in the area to house asylum seekers.
The authority says they don't want hotels in 'prime tourism locations' being used as it will impact the town's economy.
It's one of at least four authorities taking legal action.
The Home Office said that “record levels” of arrivals to the UK had put “unprecedented pressure” on the system and it was working with councils to “find appropriate accommodation during this challenging time”.
But Great Yarmouth Borough Council said that it took action due to the “absence of any meaningful dialogue” with the Home Office.
In a statement, Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it had secured an interim injunction in relation to one hotel in a “prime tourism location where there is a proposed use as a hostel for accommodating asylum seekers”.
This is subject to a final hearing this month, the authority in Norfolk said.
Kashif Jan owns a hotel in the area. He doesn't want migrants to be removed, as he says they're his only customers: "My hotel is empty at the moment. I just want business.
"We've been hammered by Covid and now there's this sudden inflation. Things are completely dead.
"Many hotels are going bust in the country and I don't want to be the next victim."
Great Yarmouth Council has also served a temporary stop notice on a hotel currently being used to house asylum seekers, but the notice has now expired, and the council is “considering further enforcement action”.
“As a council representing our local community, we have always expressed our willingness to engage with the Home Office to find suitable properties to accommodate asylum seekers, but the absence of any meaningful dialogue or intention to follow due process by the Home Office has resulted in us pursuing this course of action,” Great Yarmouth Borough Council said.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Stoke City Council and Ipswich Borough Council are also taking legal action.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who seek asylum and require accommodation has reached record levels, placing unprecedented pressures on the asylum system.
“The Home Office and partners identify sites for accommodation based on whether they are safe and available.
“While we accept that hotels do not provide a long-term solution, they do offer safe, secure and clean accommodation, and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation during this challenging time.”
The Local Government Association said it had been “raising increasingly urgent concerns with the Home Office on behalf of councils about the use of hotels for asylum seekers without adequate time for consulting or even sometimes informing the local council in advance”.
A spokesperson said: “Councils understand the pressures in the system but it is vital that they are given advanced notification so that they and their local partners can put in place the plans for the local services needed to support the new arrivals in their community, and to avoid creating any community tensions.”