Anger and uncertainty over decision to house asylum seekers in Coventry and Warwick hotels

Councillors and local residents in Coventry and Warwick have hit out at a government decision to temporarily house asylum seekers in local hotels.

Coventry City Council is considering legal action after a hotel in the city (whose name The Boar will not disclose) was reserved for this purpose with only 48 hours’ notice and no prior consultation.

Senior councillors have written to Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, to explain their discontent, claiming that the decision was “made unilaterally” and that the council was only “informed after the fact”.

Richard Brown, a Labour councillor, affirmed that the council wants to “help [asylum seekers] as much as we possibly can”, clarifying that recent disappointment was instead derived from the claimed […] unfair nature of the government’s decision

The council further elaborated that it would give the Home Office the “opportunity to understand the position and seek to remedy the situation” before moving ahead with the proposed legal action.

Richard Brown, a Labour councillor, affirmed that the council wants to “help [asylum seekers] as much as we possibly can”, clarifying that recent disappointment was instead derived from the claimed unilateral and unfair nature of the government’s decision.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Gavin Williamson described the situation as “a diktat that [local councils] receive with no support and no help”.

We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers and continue to identify a range of accommodation options to minimise their use

Home Office spokesperson

A central grievance shared by both Labour and Conservative councillors is the perceived breach of the Starmer ministry’s promise, outlined in its election manifesto, to “end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds”.

Dame Angela Eagle, Home Office Minister, has argued that the government has “inherited” an asylum backlog from the Conservatives and is now processing up to 10,000 cases a month.

A Home Office spokesperson said that, over the long term: “We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers and continue to identify a range of accommodation options to minimise their use.”

Legal action was taken by Coventry City Council and six other West Midlands local authorities in 2021 over the asylum-seeker dispersal policy, a system intended to move asylum-seekers across the country and thus spread the cost of supporting them.

“A new, fairer asylum dispersal system” was duly promised by the Home Office.

Since Labour’s victory, however, the number of UK asylum hotels has increased by seven. Furthermore, according to the Home Office, Coventry City Council was supporting 1,924 asylum-seekers in June 2024, vastly above the 782 which councillors claim the city has been allocated in a revised plan.

They are not ‘illegal immigrants’ […] and we must endeavour to share the facts, not buzz words which stir up anger and fear

Matt Western, Warwick and Leamington MP

Earlier in November, the closure of Warwick’s Delta Hotel, located on the Stratford Road, occurred under similar circumstances to the hotel in Coventry, when the site was fenced off with no communication from Warwick District Council to local residents.

The hotel was later confirmed by the Leamington Observer to be closed under government contract as it prepares to accommodate 360 single male asylum-seekers in the coming weeks.

In a statement responding to Warwick residents’ concerns, Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington, said: “It is of standard procedure that a list of hotels being used to house those seeking asylum is not made public.

“They are not ‘illegal immigrants’ […] and we must endeavour to share the facts, not buzz words which stir up anger and fear.”

Western concluded: “We must have faith in the system that appropriate measures will be taken to keep our communities safe. I welcome hearing from constituents with concerns and when appropriate, will raise them with the relevant authority.”