A migrant hotel that said it would rather close than accept single male asylum seekers will house the individuals, the Home Office has said. Plans to replace asylum-seeking families with single men in the Park Hotel in Diss, Norfolk, have proved controversial with locals in the market town and sparked protests last month.
South Norfolk Council was also against the proposals but now the Home Office has written to the local authority confirming it “intends to proceed” with the plans, according to reports. The council says it “will not accept” the move and in an attempt to shut it down, would use planning enforcement powers. The council’s Conservative leader, Daniel Elmer, said he was “incredibly disappointed” and described the Home Office’s decision as “completely unnecessary”.
He told BBC Look East: “The hotel is already being used to house asylum seekers. This isn’t going to create any extra capacity for the government.
“All it is going to do is upset a settled community; upset a community of asylum seekers that are already integrating very well into the local area, for no reason at all.”
Mr Elmer added that he expects there to be more protests but urged people to keep demonstrations “peaceful”.
It comes as more protests against the use of hotels as accommodation for asylum seekers are expected across the UK this weekend.
The Cameron Ventures Group, which owns the Park Hotel, declined to comment, according to the BBC.
A Norfolk Police spokeswoman confirmed the force will continue to monitor the situation at the hotel and “provide a proportionate response, if needed”.
The spokeswoman added they will respect the right to peaceful protest while “ensuring the safety of the local community”.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is reducing expensive hotel use as part of a complete overhaul of the asylum system.
“From over 400 asylum hotels open in summer 2023, costing almost £9 million a day, there are now less than 210, and we want them all closed by the end of this Parliament.
“We will continue to work closely with community partners across the country, and discuss any concerns they have, as we look to fix this broken system together.
“The security of the local communities within which hotels are located will always be our paramount concern.”