Plans to house asylum seekers in Rishi Sunak's constituency 'scrapped'

Confusion surrounds the scheme after the Allerton Court Hotel in Northallerton announced it was remaining open as a public hotel and local housing managers were told the asylum seekers, believed to be several family groups, would not be coming.

Refugee charities have also been told the families would not be coming.

Conservative leader of Hambleton District Council, councillor Mark Robson called for clarity but said that they had been told the asylum seekers would not be moving into the hotels 44 rooms. The revelations come just weeks after the Home Office scrapped plans for 1,500 asylum seekers to be moved to the former RAF base at Linton on Ouse, near Easingwold, amid mounting protests, and legal challenges.

The asylum families were due to start moving into Allerton Court from Sunday November 20. At the weekend the hotel put out a message. They said: “We here at Allerton Court would very much like to pass on the news that contrary to media reports we are remaining open as a public hotel and look very much forward to seeing you all soon. There will be no further comments in regards to this matter.”

Staff who answered the phone at the hotel said they could add nothing to the statement. There had been concern that two British and several Ukranian families who had been homeless and had been staying at the hotel temporarily had been moved out to Teesside.

Customers complained reservations at the hotel had been cancelled along with several weddings and Christmas parties. The announcement came amid fears that far right groups could be preparing to target the hotel.

Councillor Robson said it had been very difficult. He added: “Our housing manager had been told they are not coming in an email. I am a little bit sceptical, the Home Office are saying they are not coming, we have been here before. I am sure Northallerton was ready to welcome these families. I think everybody needs some clarity, I really don’t believe we are getting it.”

Rishi Sunak’s office said they did not wish to comment.

Refugee charity Ripon City of Sanctuary said they had been told the asylum seekers would not be coming to the Allerton Court. Nicola David added: “It’s time the Home Office finally accepted that hotels are not a solution, not for asylum-seekers, not for communities.

“Local authorities are taking the Home Office to court; hotels are refusing deals, or backing out. 20 years ago, 42 per cent more asylum-seekers came here, so numbers aren’t the issue and there should be no knee-jerk need for hotels. This is all because the Home Office has failed to process claims quickly enough, so people are trapped in the system and must be accommodated somewhere. Last year the Home Office only processed four per cent of cases within the six month target. It’s time to stop blaming asylum-seekers for this brokenness.”

The Home Office said they are not currently using this hotel and don’t have any plans to do so. They added: “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.”