The government should find a better way to house asylum seekers than taking over hotels, the deputy leader of Chichester District Council has said.
Jonathan Brown spoke during a meeting of the full council after being asked about the Home Office’s plans to use the Chichester Park Hotel as ‘contingency accommodation for people seeking asylum’.
Rhys Chant (Lib Dem, Chichester East) said they had been ‘inundated with telephone calls, emails and messages’ since the news broke that the hotel had closed.
Mr Brown said:
“The decision to use the Chichester Park Hotel to house asylum seekers is a private and direct arrangement between the Home Office and a privately owned business.
“The council were not consulted, were not given any input into the decision and have no powers to influence the workings of the Home Office.”
Mr Brown criticised the government for allowing ‘a backlog of asylum applications to build up’, stating that refusing to allow people to work while waiting for their applications to be processed ‘doesn’t help anyone’.
He added: “The local community shouldn’t need to be put in this situation.”
Last weekend, a demonstration was held outside the hotel, in Madgwick Lane, and more then 6,600 people have signed a petition raising concerns about its future use.
The closure of the hotel means the loss of the gym and swimming pool and the cancellation of booked events – though a spokesman has stated that many of the bookings had been transferred to another local hotel and would be honoured.
Mr Brown said:
“I think it is a tremendous shame that this will lead to the loss of amenities for local residents and I’m especially sorry to all of those who have had events cancelled.
“There really ought to be a better way for the government to manage this process.”
He added:
“While reiterating again that the council has absolutely no involvement in decision-making in this process, our understanding is that the contractors who take over the running of these hotels do frequently take on those who, up until that point, had been working in them.
“Things like cooks, cleaners, reception staff will be required.
“We have no influence over that process but I would hope that those who wish to remain working on the site will be able to do so.”
He urged people to direct their questions to the Home Office.
To contact the Home Office, email public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk or call 0207 035 4848.
UPDATE:
Demonstrations continued on Saturday, September 30, with police attending the scene.
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