Blackpool MP calls on Government to end hotel arrangement for asylum seekers

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has called for an end to the use of the resort’s Metropole Hotel as accommodation for asylum-seekers.

The housing of families in the seafront hotel – the only one in Blackpool to be sited on the beach side of the tram tracks – has proved controversial since it was first announced in 2021.

Opponents of the project say the hotel, close to North Pier, should be used for tourism, while some right-wing protesters were vocal in their opposition to the migrants during disturbances and protests in August.

However, Mr Webb says he is not opposed to the asylum seekers themselves – including women and children – but the unsuitability of the hotel as a place to house them and he says Blackpool Council shares his concerns.

He says more fitting accommodation, suitable for families, should be found and that the Metropole was only supposed to be used for a few months.

He stated: “I have had a crucial meeting with the asylum minister, Dame Angela Eagle MP DBE, to address the pressing concerns that Blackpool Council and I have regarding the accommodation of asylum-seeking families at the Metropole Hotel.

“Initially, the previous Conservative government assured us that the hotel would be used for only three months—an assurance that has long since evaporated now we’re passing its third year.

“With the new Labour government actively processing over 100,000 asylum seekers to clear the backlog and eliminate the use of hotels for temporary housing, it is imperative that we take decisive action.

“The Metropole Hotel and location are wholly inadequate for this purpose, and the Minister is now urgently reviewing the contract established by the previous government to ensure that we can terminate its use as quickly as possible.”

Around 220 asylum seekers were moved into The Metropole, part of the Britannia Hotels chain, in September 2021 despite council concerns public services were already under pressure.

In November 2022, former Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Paul Maynard told the House of Commons the Metropole should be among the first hotels to be vacated.

The Home Office has previously said the initial focus is on hotels which can be exited quickly, have the greatest impact on communities and are costing taxpayers the most money. Government spending on hotels for asylum seekers had reached as much as £8m a day.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached Blackpool Council, the Home Office and Britannia Hotels for a comment on Mr Webb’s latest statement.