Confusion reigns over which of Wigan's asylum hotels has been earmarked to shut...if either

This week Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick announced that 50 UK hotels accommodating asylum-seekers would be closing within the next three months as part of the Government’s latest bid to curb migration and “stop the small boats” across the Channel.

Wigan MP Lisa Nandy then received a note from him on Wednesday (October 25) saying he had been able to “order the closure of the asylum hotel” in her constituency.

But there was confusion because he did not specify which of the hotels in Standish – the Britannia at Almond Brook and Kilhey Court in Worthington – had been earmarked.

Wigan Today spent all of Thursday trying to gain clarification, the Home Office having at first promised in the morning to notify both Ms Nandy and Wigan Council within an hour.

But deadlines came and went; then a Home Office source admitted to Wigan Today there was a possibility Mr Jenrick had mistakenly given Ms Nandy the impression that a Wigan hotel was in the first tranche when it might not be (but they weren’t ruling it out either).

By the end of the working day neither MP nor council was any the wiser, Ms Nandy saying “I’ve honestly never known chaos like it.”

When Wigan Today announced that one of the hotels appeared to be closing, politicians and resident representatives expressed their relief at progress being made.

It had been felt that Standish’s infrastructure couldn’t cope with a second migrant hotel when one was announced in August and that Kilhey Court, with no shops or other amenities nearby and poorly served by public transport, was the wrong place anyway.

After Mr Jenrick’s message was revealed, Coun Dane Anderton, cabinet member for police, crime and civil contingencies at Wigan Council, said: "I'm pleased the government has listened to our concerns and agreed to stand down one of the asylum hotels in Standish.

“It is however disappointing that we as a council have still had no official communication from the Government Home Office despite our letters and motion on this matter.

"The leader, Coun David Molyneux MBE, and chief executive, Alison Mckenzie-Folan, have continued to write to the Secretary of State for Immigration to voice the council’s and community’s concerns about the suitability of accommodation in Standish and the proximity of both hotels to each other.

"I'd like to thank our local MP, Lisa Nandy, and Standish ward members for all their hard work in successfully challenging the government's use of multiple hotels in Standish.

"I'd also like to thank Standish Voice for all their support and local residents for their patience, understanding and measured response, allowing us to go through the proper channels to get to this decision."

Standish councillor Debbie Parkinson said: “We are awaiting news to hear which of the two hotels is the first to close.

"As I have said before, Standish has welcomed hundreds of asylum seekers since 2015 with residents donating huge amounts of clothing and toiletries and delivering Christmas flowers prior to Covid, but we feel it is now time for the hotels to be returned to the community.

"I have worked with and been supported by the Council, its officers, the Police, and our MP Lisa Nandy since the Britannia Hotel was announced as a contingency hotel eight years ago to manage our legal duties, sorting community problems quickly, but also to help and assist where we could.

"Asylum seekers at the hotel usually had short stays, with groups leaving and new groups arriving regularly, so could not get to know the community in which they were living.

"I welcome this decision and will continue to push for whichever hotel is not yet included to be closed as soon as possible. A proper national solution to this problem is needed. Currently asylum seekers by law, have to be in the country where they seek asylum.

"If they were able to apply from elsewhere, it would in my opinion, stop many from making the journey here and decisions could be taken quicker, with those being refused not having to be returned anywhere because they arent here.

"I want to thank all Standish residents for their generosity, understanding and for welcoming the asylum seekers here. Standish Councillors have worked hard using the right channels and engaging with the decision makers and will continue to work for all our residents.”

Residents group Standish Voice said it would not comment further until details of the hotels’ futures had been clarified.