Long Eaton hotel still being used for asylum seekers

A Derbyshire hotel is still being used to house asylum seekers five months after a neighbouring facility across the road was closed. The Best Western Hotel in Bostocks Lane, Long Eaton, remains in use as housing asylum accommodation by the Home Office, the Local Democracy Reporting Service can confirm.

While the Novotel Hotel facility across the road ended its use for asylum seekers in June, following a confirmed planned closure in March, following lobbying by former Erewash MP Maggie Throup, no such date was ever and has yet to be provided for the Best Western site. The facility provides temporary accommodation for people who have fled their home countries.

Adam Thompson, Erewash MP as of July, told the LDRS: “The Best Western is still operational for housing asylum seekers. I understand the Home Office is currently working through the huge asylum claims backlog left by the previous government, and aiming to close hotels for this purpose as soon as possible.

“Claims have a first stage and unsuccessful claims are often followed by a subsequent appeal, which means processing does take some time and claimants stay in hotels until their case is formally closed with either a successful claim or deportation. I am also aware that the unusually mild and calm period of weather through September and October resulted in more small boat crossings (across the English Channel from France to England) than expected, which has exacerbated the demand on hotel use.

“Of course, the government has hugely ramped up claim processing rates and is tackling the problem at source by smashing the criminal people smuggling gangs.” Yesterday (November 19), a Home Office spokesperson refused to confirm or deny the Best Western’s continued use due to the violent “racially motivated” protests experienced in Southport and other towns and cities in the summer – which were linked to asylum seeker accommodation along with general immigration opposition.

The Best Western is listed as “temporarily closed” on Google and its website does not allow bookings to be made. The combined number of people staying in the Novotel and Best Western facilities was said to be around 400.

A spokesperson also did not confirm how many people were staying in the Novotel Hotel when its use as asylum seeker accommodation ended. This week, the LDRS detailed that 105 people required homelessness support from Erewash Borough Council when the Novotel facility closed.

That represented 20 per cent (one in five) of the people the council has needed to support over the past year (total of 544). A borough council report detailed: “Although numbers of approaches to the council have increased, many asylum seekers leaving hotel accommodation in Erewash have been able to secure accommodation themselves without needing the council’s assistance.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented strain, with thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed. We have taken immediate action to restart asylum processing and are delivering a major uplift in returns to remove people with no right to be in the UK.

“Over the long term this will reduce our reliance on hotels and costs of accommodation. 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.”

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