Controversial Wigan migrant hotel closes several months ahead of schedule

Serco - which organises asylum seeker accommodation - confirmed to Wigan Today that the last migrants had now left the Standish hotel.

A Serco spokesman said: "I can confirm that the Kilhey Court hotel has been vacated in line with the Home Office Hotel Exit strategy and we have been able to free up enough accommodation to support the closure of this hotel ahead of schedule.”

It brings to a premature end a brief but stormy chapter in the history of the luxury spa and hotel.

The announcement in August that Kilhey Court was being handed over by Macdonald Hotels and Spas to the Home Office and migrant accommodation operator Serco sparked an outcry - not least because the nearby Britannia Hotel had been used for this purpose for the past eight years.

However just two months later, the government - after much initial confusion - performed a u-turn and confirmed Kilhey Court would no longer be used to house asylum seekers and would shut in March 2024, one of 50 around the country to lose this function over the next few months.

Today’s announcement means Kilhey Court has ceased functioning as a migrant hotel several months earlier than expected.

The information was conveyed to local representatives at a meeting with Wigan Council this week, where they were informed that Serco would no longer be housing asylum seekers at the hotel from today (Thursday).

A spokesperson for Standish Voice said: “We are pleased that this very sad saga has come to end. The use of Kilhey Court as asylum seeker accommodation was always wrong, inappropriate and ill thought out.

“It created anger in the community and allowed self-seeking elements to sow division in our village.

“We would like to thank Wigan Council for working with us and our councillors to keep up the pressure on Serco, Macdonald Hotels and the Home Office. Both while the spotlight was on Kilhey Court and also over the past few months when coverage of the issue died down.

“Hopefully, Macdonald Hotels will now do the right thing on behalf of the community it badly let down and refurbish the hotel to bring it back to its former glory.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Office continues to provide safe accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, as we work to end the use of hotels which are costing UK taxpayers £8.2million a day.

“Asylum accommodation is allocated on a no-choice basis. Individuals may be moved and provided with alternative, appropriate accommodation in line with the Allocation of Accommodation guidance.

“We take the welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and at every stage in the process we work to ensure that the needs and vulnerabilities of asylum seekers are identified and considered.”

A Home Office memo to Wigan MP Lisa Nandy issued in October read: “Further to the Immigration Minister’s announcement on October 24 regarding the first tranche of hotel closures, I am pleased to inform you that the Home Office is terminating the contract with Macdonald Kilhey Court as asylum accommodation and it will cease being used in March 2024, reflecting the contractual notice period on this property.”