North Ferriby: Humber View Hotel told it must not host asylum seekers

An East Yorkshire village hotel has been told it cannot house asylum seekers after a council secured an interim High Court injunction.

On Sunday, East Riding of Yorkshire Council confirmed it had gone to the High Court to stop Humber View Hotel in North Ferriby being used to house those seeking asylum.

One ward councillor said the location was "unsuitable".

The Home Office said hotels were a "short-term solution".

A copy of the injunction, dated 28 October and seen by the BBC, has been attached to the front of the hotel, and halts any plans to house asylum seekers until a hearing on 7 November.

It also prevents other hotels within the East Riding of Yorkshire being used to accommodate asylum seekers.

Speaking on Saturday, before the injunction was confirmed, Councillor Margaret Corless, whose South Hunsley ward includes North Ferriby, said she had received "no official confirmation" the hotel was to be used.

However, she insisted if rumours circulating the village and on social media were true "residents should have been informed".

Ms Corless said she did not believe the hotel was suitable to house asylum seekers.

She said: "This hotel is remote. It's a substantial walking distance to the nearest village. It's a small village with three or four stores.

"It's substantially further to reach Hessle, and they'd have to cross a dual carriageway. These asylum seekers have very little money and they certainly don't have any transport.

"It would be very difficult to fill their time. They are not allowed to work, so they would be idle. There is nothing of interest."

The BBC went to North Ferriby on Sunday to find out what people thought of the situation.

Paul Delaney says: "It's very difficult as to where we do house asylum seekers. There is no real answer. Some people will be for it, some people will be against. I am a little bit in-between. I just think the whole process of looking after these people should be made quicker and more efficient... instead of just putting them in places where a lot of people don't want them."

Barry Evans says: "Asylum seekers are looking for a home, which I can understand. If I was in their situation, I would probably be the same. Obviously, there will be infrastructure and social problems that will come with it. Now whether they have been addressed, or are going to be addressed, I don't know."

Andy Jordan says: "There is no 100% right place for this type of situation. If the hotel is the right place at the moment then so be it."

Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis also expressed concern, tweeting: "I have been contacted by several constituents concerned about proposals to use Humber View Hotel in my constituency to house asylum seekers.

"East Riding Council and I have been resisting the proposals since the Home Office first made us aware of them."

Ms Corless claimed the asylum system does not work.

She said: "Hotels are not the solution. It's not fair to the residents who live around these hotels and are not receiving any information because the system is not allowing for that, and it's not fair to the asylum seekers."

The Home Office said it does not comment on operational arrangements for individual sites used for asylum accommodation.

But in a broad statement, it 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 £5.6 million a day. The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation."

Last week, Ipswich Borough Council also secured an interim injunction to halt Home Office plans to house 200 asylum seekers in the Novotel Hotel.

The BBC has approached Humber View Hotel for comment.

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].