Three hotels housing asylum seekers have recently closed as part of a government effort to move the people in them into alternative accommodation.
The Metropole Hotel on Blackpool Promenade, the Britannia Ashley Hotel in Hale, Altrincham, and the Chimney House in Sandbach, Cheshire, have all been handed back to their owners, according to the Home Office.
Border Security and Asylum minister Anna Turley said the move would save public money and go towards the government’s pledge of ending the use of hotels as asylum seeker accommodation by 2029.
The Britannia Group said it was “reviewing its options” about the future use of the Blackpool and Hale hotels.
The Labour MP for Blackpool South, Chris Webb, who campaigned for the use of the Metropole to end over safety concerns for vulnerable families and strain on local services, said: “Residents told me they wanted this to close. We were promised back in 2021 this would only be for three months, that promise was broken.”
He said the closure was not just about removing asylum seekers from Blackpool.
“This is not the right place for an asylum hotel. So for me, it is about getting it closed, getting it back to help our local economy.
He added: “We’ve done our fair share but now it’s time for other areas to do theirs as well.”
The Metropole and Britannia Ashley Hotels both became asylum accommodation under the previous Conservative government.
The Conservative local MP at the time, Sir Graham Brady said Hale was the most “inappropriate location”.