Kettering MP Philip Hollobone says Royal Hotel 'completely unsuitable' for asylum seeker accommodation

Kettering MP Philip Hollobone says he is urging Home Office ministers not to proceed with a plan to house asylum seekers at an ‘unsuitable’ town hotel.

This afternoon it was revealed that the Government wants to accommodate those seeking refuge at the historic Royal Hotel in Market Place, which once welcomed Queen Victoria.

But North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) is seeking an interim injunction at the High Court to try and block the bid while other locations are assessed.

In a statement to the Northants Telegraph this evening, Conservative MP Mr Hollobone said:

- that up to 150 asylum seekers could be housed there for up to a year while their cases are processed.

- that the asylum seekers would have no kitchen facilities or outside space and could be housed in cramped conditions.

- that there had been an ‘inadequate’ consultation and that his views as MP had not been sought.

He said he was ‘100 per cent’ opposed to the proposal and applauded NNC for seeking the injunction and serving a temporary stop notice.

He said: "Located slap bang in the middle of the town centre itself this location is completely unsuitable.

"Not only could this mean up to three single male asylum seekers per room, there are no kitchen facilities within the premises and there is no outside space within the hotel so asylum seekers will be milling around the Market Place, the town centre and the nearest green space which is the family play area in Meadow Road park.

"With potential asylum seekers from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan all housed in cramped conditions within the hotel there is also the potential for cultural clashes amongst the asylum seekers themselves.

"With Kettering the largest night-time economy in the ET area and with this part of the town centre an anti-social behaviour hotspot, having all too frequent issues involving criminal and anti-social behaviour, this proposal is entirely ill-conceived and it's just asking for trouble. In addition, local A&E, GP, dental and school facilities are already challenged.

"There has been completely inadequate consultation with the local council, the local police, the local NHS and other local agencies. As the local MP my views have not been sought at all, probably because they knew what answer they would get.”

The hotel had been bought by investment firm Paymán Investments, who wanted to restore it to its former glory and make it a community hub, in a £2.2m deal last year.

It is steeped in history with Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens among the people to have stayed there.

Earlier this afternoon, NNC leader Cllr Smithers said: “North Northamptonshire Council takes its responsibility to asylum seekers very seriously.

"The council has previously offered to have discussions with the Home Office to help identify suitable hotels in the area.

“However, the Royal Hotel in Kettering is not an appropriate place to accommodate asylum seekers for a number of reasons.

"We do not feel the proposals have been properly considered to ensure the best possible service can be provided to asylum seekers and the local communities in which they are housed. I felt it was important to take action which was a decision we have not taken lightly.”

Cllr Anne Lee, Labour’s sole Kettering representative at NNC, said she had not been told about the plan at all and received an email about it seven minutes before a council press release was issued.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who seek asylum and require accommodation has reached record levels, placing unprecedented pressures on the asylum system.

“The Home Office and partners identify sites for accommodation based on whether they are safe and available. While we accept that hotels do not provide a long-term solution, they do offer safe, secure and clean accommodation, and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation during this challenging time.”

The proposal comes six weeks after we revealed that Corby’s Rockingham Forest Best Western Hotel was earmarked to become accommodation for asylum seekers, with weddings cancelled and planned functions called off.

But just days later, after a furious reaction from local people, the plan was ditched.