An MP has said the lack of prior warning over the use of a hotel in Witney to house people seeking asylum was "not good enough" and is asking for an urgent meeting with the Home Office.

The situation was revealed when a resident suddenly had Christmas bookings cancelled at the 115-room Oxford Witney Hotel.

The hotel has said it "has agreed to help the Home Office as part of the UK’s humanitarian commitment to help those desperately in need of some safety and security whilst waiting for more permanent arrangements". 

Conservative MP for Witney Robert Courts said he had asked for the meeting "to have an opportunity to reflect the legitimate concerns of Witney residents.”

He said: “While I understand the Home Office has a responsibility to support asylum seekers, I am concerned by the news that the hotel will be used for asylum accommodation and, like other local residents, have misgivings about the suitability of the site and the impact this decision will have on Witney.

“There was no prior consultation with me or other local leaders, which is not good enough given the significant implications this decision has for our community."

He added: “There are many details which remain unclear. I have not yet been informed about the number of people we can expect in Witney, whether the group will be all adult or will include children, or what countries the guests will have come from."

West Oxfordshire District Council said it had "no prior warning" and is now consulting with local support services.

In a statement, the council said: "The Home Office is organising this arrangement directly with the hotel without any consultation with local councils.

“We are now working with local partners including the police, the County Council and Asylum Welcome to look at what support is needed for the asylum seekers coming to the hotel and the local community.

“We are seeking more information from the Home Office on their plans and their expectations.”

But it added: "As a partnership we have experience in providing support following the arrivals of refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine over recent years and months."

Asylum Welcome said it was “absolutely right” that Oxfordshire should be playing its part in giving accommodation support.

Director Mark Goldring said: “It’s absolutely right that the Home Office gets people out of Manston [migrant centre] and in the short term hotels are probably the only answer.

"The real issue is how fast the Home Office can move them out of hotels and into something more suitable and longer term.

“Where we are troubled is that in Witney, and in Oxford, is that arrangements were made without consultation.”

He said this undermined the local authority’s ability to prepare properly when it did not know when asylum seekers were coming and how many there would be.

And he said the Home Office needed to move forward “more sensibly and more collaboratively” in future.

He added: “It isn’t just about people arriving on small boats, the backlog has been building up for years.

“A high proportion of asylum seekers go on to get a positive decision and are told that they can stay. If we can speed that up, people can get on with their lives.”

A spokesman for 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 £5.6million a day.

"The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.”

They added that the Home Office does not comment on operational arrangements for individual sites used for asylum accommodation but the Government does "engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation". 

 

 

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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