Kettering hotel asylum seekers 'relocated' from Royal Hotel helped by police

Asylum seekers housed in a town centre Kettering hotel have been moved out to other hostels following action by bailiffs to which police were called.

Less than a year since asylum seekers were moved into the historic Royal Hotel in Kettering, the occupants have been moved into other accommodation across the country.

On Saturday (September 30) shoppers had been surprised to see a large police presence around the hotel in Market Place with police dogs in attendance.

MP for Kettering Philip Hollobone, who ‘vigorously opposed’ the hotel being used as a hostel before it was opened, has welcomed the relocation from Kettering.

He said: “My understanding is that the Royal Hotel has now been vacated of its asylum seekers. This may be because the hotel owner is unable to meet the terms of its contract with the Home Office and this may have been triggered by a dispute between the hotel and its funding partners.

"I understand that the asylum seekers have been relocated to other locations elsewhere. During the relocation process the local police were involved so as to ensure an orderly exit for all the asylum seekers involved."I do hope that this means the end of the Royal Hotel being used as asylum seeker accommodation, though this has not been confirmed to me by the Home Office.

"Ever since asylum seekers were first moved in to the hotel in November last year, I have vigorously opposed the use of this hotel as an asylum hostel. Together with North Northamptonshire Council I went to see the Immigration Minister himself in his office at the Home Office to protest in the strongest possible terms and have been raising local concerns as hard as I can ever since."Located slap bang in the middle of the town centre itself this location has always been completely unsuitable. A lot of public money has been invested in recent years to develop and improve the Market Place and an asylum hostel in this location has had a negative impact on local residents, businesses and traders.”

Asylum seekers had been housed in the Royal Hotel since November 20, 2022 – a contract between SERCO, working for the Home Office, and the hotel owner Payman Holdings 5 Limited.

It is believed that SERCO managed the hotel providing security guards and bought-in meals for the asylum seekers – the hotel’s owner was paid per asylum seeker.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: “Northamptonshire Police were called to the Royal Hotel in Kettering at about 2pm on Saturday, September 30, whilst residents were moving out.

“This passed without incident and we understand that SERCO are re-accommodating these residents at a location outside of Northamptonshire. No one was armed and everything passed without issue.”

Passers-by saw police vehicles parked in nearby West Street.

At least two of the asylum seekers contacted friends they had made in Kettering, saying they had been moved out of their rooms at such short notice they couldn’t retrieve their belongings. The men have been moved to a hostel in the north of England.

One shopper said: "There were three or four police dog unit vehicles all parked outside the hotel at about 2.30pm on Saturday, but it looked like whatever they were there for had been resolved by then."

This morning (Tuesday) a security guard at the hotel said the building was now empty but new staff would be moving in soon.

Last month, Mr Hollobone had urged Robert Jenrick MP, Immigration Minister in the House of Commons to ensure the 12-month contracts given to The Royal Hotel and Rothwell House Hotel in Rothwell would not be renewed.

The Royal Hotel, Na'Ím Payman, the entrepreneur who owns several asylum hostels across the country including the Royal Hotel, said: “We do not wish to make a comment.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The number of people arriving in small boats is down compared with last year but we must go further to stop the boats in the first place.

“That is why we are determined, through the Illegal Migration Act, to ensure that anyone arriving in the UK illegally is detained and swiftly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.

“We are also working hard to reduce the unacceptable use of hotels by moving asylum seekers into alternative, cheaper accommodation, doubling them up in hotel rooms, and clearing the legacy backlog.”