Asylum-seekers begin moving into hotel near Melton

Officials from Melton Borough Council met with representatives of the Home Office earlier today to confirm the arrangement at Scalford Country House Hotel, which was used to house hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan fleeing the Taleban takeover last year.

The council say most of those arriving at the hotel are families including children.

A spokesperson for Melton Borough Council said: “The Home Office have now confirmed to us that they will be using Scalford Country House Hotel as a contingency hotel to accommodate asylum seekers and that occupation of the hotel for this purpose could be as early as today (Monday).

"We have been made aware that the residents of the hotel will mainly be families and that they are likely to be staying in the hotel for a number of months. “We know this news will raise local questions and concerns, many of which we have raised ourselves with both the Home Office and Serco, the service provider.

"Please be assured that we are in contact with all the partners involved and will do our very best to address any queries or concerns.

"At a time of such significant pressures on the asylum process, it is inevitable that use of contingency hotels will happen at pace across the country, and we will do all that we can to support partner agencies to ensure the contingency accommodation arrangements can run smoothly.”

Melton MP, Alicia Kearns, commented this evening (Monday): “Scalford Country House Hotel has privately come to an agreement with the Home Office to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

"This agreement will only be on a temporary basis until more permanent accommodation across the country is found.

"I have worked with the Home Office to ensure that only women and their families will be accommodated at the hotel given its co-location with a care home.

"Our local communities were very welcoming when the hotel was previously providing temporary accommodation, and I'm sure these families will receive the same response."