Witney: Campaign against receiving more asylum seekers

West Oxfordshire District Council’s economic and social overview and scrutiny committee was told there were 187 people staying at the Oxford Witney Hotel in Witney.

Councillors heard that while the community, and in particular the school and church in Ducklington, have done an “amazing job” for those staying there, it has placed local services “under a great deal of pressure”. 

And the authority is lobbying “very hard” not to increase the numbers.

Phil Martin WODC’s assistant director for business services, said: "The Home Office have recently contacted us in regards to what they call an optimisation programme where they actually want to put more people in the hotel and we are going to be writing to the Home Office saying that for a number of reasons we don’t believe this is the right course of action.

“This is a national scheme. It’s not one that’s specifically focused on our hotel, however, whilst the local community – the doctors and so on have done an amazing job as have the schools as well, they have been under a great deal of pressure and therefore we feel that this is the thing to do.

“So we are going to be writing back to challenge that."

But he said it is ultimately the Home Office not local authorities that control the management and running of hotels housing asylum seekers.

Conservative councillor Nick Leverton, who represents Carterton South, asked: “Have we been given an indication of how long the hotel is likely to be commandeered for?"

Mr Martin replied: "It’s simply that we are not told. So the hotel is renewed on a rolling basis. That arrangement is between the hotel owners and the Home Office. We have no input in that in the same way we had no input when they arrived.

“So I suspect while we lobby very hard, and I meet the various Home Office individuals on a regular basis, I don’t think we will be told particularly quickly but I think the situation is such they have extended their current lease so it’s not going to close anytime soon is what we’re led to believe. However, things could change."

Vice-chair Rizvana Poole, who represents Chipping Norton, wanted to "highlight and applaud the organisations who are supporting the individuals there. Whether it’s the food banks, the larders and also the schools. What is it that we are doing to support them to carry on?" she asked.

Mr Martin said the council has received £147,000 from a grant scheme launched by the government specifically to support councils with hotels in their district areas.

"What we’re looking to do is to provide money to all the organisations – we’ve got the likes of Asylum Welcome and Care 4 Calais all working very closely with individuals in the hotel," he said, adding the council will be running a small scale grant scheme to support community groups such as larders and others.

He said schools and doctors' surgeries were receiving some funding through ‘a different stream’.

He added: "We’ve lobbied very hard in regards to the sustainability of the current arrangement. There’s been an awful lot of goodwill. People have done an amazing job – certainly the schools and the doctors' practices.

"When the hotel first opened they stepped up. We were able to get everyone a place within the schools and the local practices and they’ve continued to do that. In fact they have a weekly surgery there.

"So it’s been really, really good and our part is we have been facilitating and now we have a small amount of money we’re using this to support all those organisations."

Witney South councillor Rachel Crouch, who volunteers in the hotel twice a week, said migrants were ‘very worried’ by a report that the hotel is for sale and feared they may be made homeless.

Mr Martin said: "The hotel is commissioned by the Home Office and everyone placed there is placed by the Home Office. Clearly if the hotel was to be sold and the new owners did not want to continue with the arrangement that discussion would be between them and the Home Office.

But he added: "The individuals living there would not be made homeless. They would be found somewhere else to go and likewise they would not be making their way to the council’s office and expecting us to house them either.

"As with all these things, it’s one thing putting it up for sale and another thing selling it."

The committee was also told that there were 159 Ukrainians living in the district, down from a peak of about 300 as some had returned to Ukraine.

Assistant director for resident services, Jon Dearing, said the council is housing six Afghan households through the resettlement scheme, and another nine families through a different programme.

Five Syrian households are living in West Oxfordshire. 

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who seek asylum and require accommodation has reached record levels, placing unprecedented pressures on the asylum system. 

“The government is working with all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to provide more cost-effective and suitable accommodation for asylum seekers, and to end the unacceptable use of hotels. 

“More than £21 million in grant funding has already been provided to help local authorities respond to challenges in their area.”