Cease of use for 'controversial' asylum hotel in Mansfield

Mansfield Council was informed by the Home Office on January 15 that it will be terminating its contract with a hotel in Mansfield being used to temporarily house asylum seekers by the end of March 2024.

This news follows an announcement from Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick – who told the House of Commons in October 2023 that 50 hotels would be returned to their normal use due to decline in small boat crossings.

Over the last year, the hotel incited a series of protests in the area.

In February protestors gathered outside the Mansfield hotel chanting 'out, out, out', and a counter-protest in support of asylum seekers was held in Mansfield a week later by activists, with calls of “refugees welcome here”.

A Mansfield Council spokesperson said: “Residents accommodated in the hotel will be moving to other parts of the government’s asylum estate and it aims to complete all relocations in advance of the final closure date.

“As part of the council’s statutory duties, we will continue to work with the Home Office as a part of a multi-agency response to ensure those dispersed from their home countries are supported at this time.”

Coun Ben Bradley MP has opposed the hotel being used to house migrants since the first individuals began arriving in 2022.

This includes expressing his concerns that a hotel typically used to house homeless people would no longer be available for that purpose.

Ashfield MP Lee Anderson took to Facebook in November 2022 and said he was “sick and tired” of seeing hospitality “abused” by “people who are simply economic migrants cheating the system via small boats and dodgy human rights legislation.”

Mr Bradley has since welcomed the news of the hotel’s closure this year.

He said: “I'm sure residents will be pleased that the commitment we've heard around this is now being realised and there no longer be any asylum hotel or similar migrant accommodation in Mansfield going forward.”

Serco, the company providing asylum accommodation and support services across the UK, has been approached for a comment on the closure.

Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum has also been approached for a comment in light of the announcement.