Asylum hotels due to respond to action from West Northamptonshire Council
The council says it’s already started enforcement action against the Ibis at Crick, the Holiday Inn in Flore, and the MK Hotel in Deanshanger.
Three hotels in West Northamptonshire who are housing asylum seekers are due to respond to action from the council.
Plans to discuss the use of asylum hotels in West Northants at a public meeting this month have been scrapped after the motion was withdrawn by its proposers.
The special meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 16 September, to consider a motion put forward by Cllr Daniel Lister to debate the use of the Ibis Hotel, Crick, the Holiday Inn, Flore, and the MK Hotel, Deanshanger.
The submission asked for West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to instruct legal counsel to represent the authority in seeking an interim injunction against the owners of the three hotels currently in use as asylum accommodation, “without delay”. The meeting was accepted by WNC’s Monitoring Officer, having been seconded and then supported by a further five councillors.
Cllr Lister, Leader of the Conservative group, has since announced that his party has formally withdrawn the motion, as the Council has already begun to take planning enforcement action against hotels being used for asylum accommodation.
On Monday, September 1, WNC confirmed that they had served Planning Contravention Notices to the owners of the hotels, who will have 21 days to respond, despite the latest ruling in the Epping hotel case overturning the temporary injunction at the Court of Appeal.
It added that it is the Council’s view that “the use and locations of the three hotels had never been suitable for asylum accommodation and place unreasonable and unsustainable strain on local services”.
Cllr Lister claimed in a statement released today (September 3) that the decision to issue planning enforcement notices “is a direct result of Conservative pressure locally”.
He added: “This motion was never about headlines or political point scoring. It was about ensuring that the Council acted in the interests of local residents.
“The Reform-led administration had previously shown little urgency, but Conservative pressure has delivered results.”
According to WNC, it was already actively reviewing the legal evidence and information it holds, in light of the Epping Forest District Council High Court ruling, as part of preparing a robust case against the use of the three hotels.
WNC Leader Mark Arnull previously said that it was important to ensure the authority had strong evidence similar to that presented in the Epping Forest case to ensure the chances of its success in future legal action. He added that it would have been “irresponsible” and potentially costly for the council to apply to the court to seek an injunction without reviewing it properly first.
He has since stated that the emergency meeting would have “amounted to nothing but a vexatious waste of time, money and officer resource”.
“I’m always grateful when opposition leaders inadvertently highlight the good work the Council is already doing,” Cllr Arnull continued, “If the goal was to generate headlines rather than outcomes, I suppose you could say mission accomplished.”
A Council spokesperson said: “An extraordinary meeting which had been planned to debate the use of three hotels in West Northamptonshire as asylum accommodation has been cancelled.
“The request was withdrawn today (Wednesday, 3 September) meaning the meeting will no longer take place.”
A scheduled meeting of Full Council is still due to take place in the Guildhall on 25 September at 5pm.