The Britannia Ashley Hotel in Hale is one of 13 hotels that have stopped being used to house asylum seekers, the government has confirmed.
The hotel had accommodated migrants since February 2023. In April, the Manchester Evening News first reported that the hotel was due to stop housing migrants, revealing that the Home Office had slated it for closure within three months.
Now, Andy Burnham's government has officially confirmed that the hotel is among 13 no longer used for that purpose. The historic Grand Metropole Hotel in Blackpool and the Chimney House Hotel in Sandbach, Cheshire, are also among those being shut.
Government's asylum hotel phase-out
Immigration minister Anna Turley said: "For too long, communities have watched hotels at the centre of their towns and cities become symbols of a broken asylum system. We are turning that around by ending the use of asylum hotels for good and moving people into larger, basic accommodation like former military sites. This Government’s reforms are overhauling the immigration system to restore control at the border, and fairness to our immigration system."
Use of the Britannia Ashley Hotel for asylum seekers had been controversial, with protests at the site. When the hotel began housing migrants in February 2023 under the Conservative government, then-MP Sir Graham Brady called the plans 'obviously inappropriate' and said they 'caused considerable disquiet'.
MP's earlier revelation
Connor Rand, Labour MP for Altrincham and Sale West, revealed in April that the Home Office had slated the hotel for closure within three months. "While I’m proud to represent such a diverse and welcoming place, using hotels to house asylum seekers is a sign of a broken system," he said at the time. "It’s bad for taxpayers, bad for community cohesion and bad for the people seeking asylum. Labour will return all asylum hotels to their normal use... as we build an immigration and asylum system that is fair, controlled and compassionate."
The latest 13 closures are due to save taxpayers £51 million and bring the total number of hotels being used to house asylum seekers below 160, down from a peak of around 400 under the Conservatives, according to the Home Office. Ministers are increasing their use of more 'basic' sites including former military barracks, having pledged to stop using asylum hotels completely by the next election.
Plans for alternative accommodation
Plans could include housing asylum seekers at former military bases at Barnham in Suffolk, Bicester in Oxfordshire and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, which together could provide accommodation for around 3,750 people. The government is also looking to expand the use of existing sites in Crowborough in East Sussex until 2030 and Wethersfield in Essex beyond 2027, despite local opposition.
The Refugee Council’s Imran Hussain said: "Hotels often are isolating for refugees, making it harder to access health and advice services. They are also costly and have become magnets for abuse and the far right. But an approach that is focused on moving people from hotels to military sites will only go so far, especially when poor quality decision making by the Home Office is keeping a large number of people reliant on asylum support and accommodation for far longer than is necessary."
The full list of closed hotels includes: Best Western Brook Hotel, Norwich; Britannia Ashley Hotel, Hale; Chimney House Hotel, Sandbach; Dubrovnik Hotel, Bradford; Gold Thorn Hotel, Wolverhampton; Grand Metropole Hotel, Blackpool; Grosvenor Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon; Holiday Inn Express Dunstable; Holiday Inn Bridgwater; Needham House, Hitchin; Nottingham Hotel, Nottingham; Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Loughborough; and Staycity Apartments Deptford Bridge, Lewisham.
