News: Rotherham hotel to continue to house asylum seekers for another year
A hotel in Rotherham is to house more asylum seekers after signing an extension to its deal with The Home Office.
Local MP, John Healey continues to point out that the Holiday Inn at Manvers is "utterly unsuited as accomodation for 130 asylum seekers" and has written again to the home secretary voicing concerns.
Known as the Holiday Inn Express Rotherham – North, the 130-bed hotel was a key development within the £100m+ Waterfront development at Manvers. The £9m development opened in late 2009 as the Park Inn by Radisson.
It has been used previously as a temporary home for asylum seekers fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan and the franchisee was then contracted by The Home Office who planned to move asylum seekers already in Rotherham from the Ibis Hotel at Bramley, with further arrivals from May 2022.
Despite the government saying that this would be a temporary measure, the Wentworth and Dearne MP has learnt that the Home Office has extended the exclusive contract with the Holiday Inn at Manvers for another year, until October 2023.
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Healey said that, again, no consultation had taken place and outlined that the hotel is miles away from many support services.
John said: "When I met the hotel owners in the summer, I made clear the strength of local feeling over getting the hotel back open to the public. They confirmed in that discussion, and again now when they told me about the extended Home Office contract, that “the longer-term plan is to operate Holiday Inn Express, Rotherham very much as a hotel facility and support tourism in the area."
"They have also given a clear undertaking to invest in refurbishing the hotel prior to re-opening it as a Holiday Inn Express again. I am determined to hold them to this."
The MP wants to see a review of the contract after six months, a requirement that all local authorities take part in a national dispersal programme and additional funding for the area. His main call was for the government to "get control of the crisis of migrant crossings on the channel."
Images: Google Maps
Local MP, John Healey continues to point out that the Holiday Inn at Manvers is "utterly unsuited as accomodation for 130 asylum seekers" and has written again to the home secretary voicing concerns.
Known as the Holiday Inn Express Rotherham – North, the 130-bed hotel was a key development within the £100m+ Waterfront development at Manvers. The £9m development opened in late 2009 as the Park Inn by Radisson.
It has been used previously as a temporary home for asylum seekers fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan and the franchisee was then contracted by The Home Office who planned to move asylum seekers already in Rotherham from the Ibis Hotel at Bramley, with further arrivals from May 2022.
Despite the government saying that this would be a temporary measure, the Wentworth and Dearne MP has learnt that the Home Office has extended the exclusive contract with the Holiday Inn at Manvers for another year, until October 2023.
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Healey said that, again, no consultation had taken place and outlined that the hotel is miles away from many support services.
John said: "When I met the hotel owners in the summer, I made clear the strength of local feeling over getting the hotel back open to the public. They confirmed in that discussion, and again now when they told me about the extended Home Office contract, that “the longer-term plan is to operate Holiday Inn Express, Rotherham very much as a hotel facility and support tourism in the area."
"They have also given a clear undertaking to invest in refurbishing the hotel prior to re-opening it as a Holiday Inn Express again. I am determined to hold them to this."
The MP wants to see a review of the contract after six months, a requirement that all local authorities take part in a national dispersal programme and additional funding for the area. His main call was for the government to "get control of the crisis of migrant crossings on the channel."
Images: Google Maps
2 comments:
Must be great knowing you've got meals and not to worry about your gas and electric bills,make no wonder they're queuing on beachers in northern France to get here.What a soft touch of a country we are!!
Rotherham wins again. Not the only hotel in the borough been used for house asylum seekers, probably governments idea of levelling up. But on a serious note are hotels really the right answer, must be pretty grim!
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