Faith and community groups have been thanked for their offers of help to asylum seekers staying at a hotel in Chichester.
The Chichester Park Hotel closed last month after the Home Office announced plans to use it as ‘contingency accommodation for people seeking asylum’.
During a meeting of the district council’s cabinet on Tuesday (October 10), leader Adrian Moss gave a brief update on those ‘currently being housed at a hotel here in Chichester’.
Demonstrations have been held outside the hotel in Madgwick Lane, with some protesting the use of the hotel for asylum seekers while others welcomed them to area.
Mr Moss urged residents to ‘support and respect the asylum seekers that are amongst us’.
He added:
“The council is working closely with local partner organisations and will continue reviewing what else can be done as we receive information from the Home Office.
“We are, though, very grateful to a number of faith and community groups who are reaching out to the asylum seekers to offer them support.
“The council is being offered limited information via the Home Office and we asked residents to refer to our Frequently Asked Questions about contingency accommodation for asylum seekers in Chichester, which can be found under the news section on the Chichester District Council website.”
A Home Office spokesman said they would not comment on individual hotels and would not confirm whether any asylum seekers had already been moved into the building.
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