Wisbech hotel will not be used to house migrants, council told

A council has welcomed the news that the Home Office will not be placing migrants in a town hotel.

Fenland District Council was informed last month that the government planned to house migrants in the 45-room Elme Hall Hotel in Wisbech.

The local authority objected, claiming the building - and the general Wisbech area - were unsuitable.

The Home Office said it could not comment on individual hotels. The hotel owner was also asked for comment.

The council lost an injunction last month when it tried to stop Home Office plans to move migrants into another hotel in the town.

Samantha Hoy, Fenland District Council's member for housing, said: "We are pleased to report that we have now been informed that the Home Office has been unable to secure this hotel for the purpose of accommodating asylum seekers.

"The council has made its position clear to the Home Office that placing asylum seekers in a rural town such as Wisbech, with very limited hotel accommodation and transport links, and issues with migrant exploitation and human trafficking, would be irresponsible."

Last month, at a High Court hearing against a different Wisbech hotel being used as a migrants' hostel, the council's barrister described the area as having "significant deprivation", "organised crime" and a "history of migrant exploitation".

In a statement, the Home Office said: "The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

"The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable - there are currently more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6m a day.

"The use of hotels is a temporary solution, and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation."

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