Following last week’s decision by the Government to allocate a hotel in Warwick for use as accommodation for asylum seekers there has been understandable discussion. I appreciate that there will be many views around its use, and therefore important to understand the context of the decision and that the facts are established, rather than assumptions.
I am very aware of the frustration that there was little to no notice around this decision being taken. I have no power over such decisions but, to those in the Home Office, I have already expressed that better and earlier communication is expected.
Whilst this is the first large hotel to be put to such use in Warwick and Leamington, it is of standard procedure that a list of hotels being used to house those seeking asylum is not made public. The process of appointment is the same across the country.
The need to continue and to expand the use of hotels for these purposes is because of a massive backlog of asylum cases inherited from the last Government. This is not a statement to place blame, but to set out the reality of the situation.
Back in 2010, the number of people seeking asylum was around 14,000. Fourteen years later, the number now stands at a staggering 224,000 – a 16 fold increase under the last Government.
That is what the Government has inherited. However, in recent weeks we have returned more ineligible people than before, organising three of the largest deportation flights ever seen in this country.
Serious action is at last being taken to address these cases where people are not permitted to stay in the UK. Since the new Government came into office, there has been a marked increase in returns with 9,400 returns have taking place in this time, including a 19% increase in enforced returns and 14% increase in returns of foreign national offenders. There is also work taking place to secure ‘return agreements’ with additional countries, such as Vietnam. Be assured, this is an issue that the Government is tackling head on, but it cannot be resolved overnight.
It is my understanding that the hotel will house up to 360 people seeking asylum. These are asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK, applied for asylum and are waiting for their application to be processed. They are not “illegal immigrants”. Upon arrival, whether you agree with the method they arrived in the UK or not, they applied for asylum and are legally allowed to remain in the UK while their application is processed. During this process, all have biometrics taken.
If they arrived here and did not claim asylum or remained here after their application was refused, that would then qualify their status as illegal. These distinctions are important, and we must endeavour to share the facts, not buzz words which stir up anger and fear.
I recognise that some residents may be surprised or disappointed with the decision to use a local hotel. However, Warwick is not being singled out; we are simply one of many areas across the country where people will be temporarily accommodated while they await processing. The new Government remain committed to ending the use of asylum hotels, but again it is simply impossible to make this happen overnight.
On the impact to our community here in Warwick, I will raise these concerns with the Home Office to establish what assistance can be provided to address this.
I am assured that there will always be housing/security staff onsite, both for the benefit of the local community and those being housed at the hotel. In the past fortnight, we have introduced new measures for staff working at hotels being used for this purpose.
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. If you wish to contact me on this please email me at matt.western.mp@parliament.uk