All Afghan refugees leaving Scarborough hotel found accommodation, charity says

They were told to leave by the Government, who say hotels were never meant to be used as permanent accommodation

Author: Liam ArrowsmithPublished 16th Aug 2023

A charity has said Afghan refugees told to leave a hotel in Scarborough where they've been staying for two years have been found accommodation.

The 23 people arrived in the UK as part of a resettlement scheme following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan two years ago.

The Refugee Council said they were told to leave by the Government, with 'eviction notices' served earlier this year.

In an update on Wednesday night (August 16), the charity said: "the hotel is now empty and all families have now moved to alternative accommodation - it was very last minute for some but we are all relieved that everyone has somewhere to stay"

"However that doesn't excuse the trauma that many of the clients have experienced as a consequence of the lack of information and decision making from the Home Office right to the last minute".

A government spokesperson said:

“Hotels are not, and were never designed to be, long-term accommodation and it is not in Afghans’ best interests to be living in hotel accommodation for months or years on end.

“We've seen good progress with Afghans leaving hotels, with 10,500 Afghans so far provided with homes. We will continue to provide extensive support, backed by £285 million of new funding to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into permanent accommodation.”

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