Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE, Leader of the Opposition Conservative Group at Westminster City Council, has today written to the Labour Leader of the Council Adam Hug and its Chief Executive Stuart Love to ask them about the use of hotels for asylum seekers in Westminster. Cllr Swaddle asks whether they are seeking injunctions to block asylum seekers from being placed in Westminster hotels, particularly those based in residential areas.
Read Paul's letter in full:
On behalf of the Conservative Group at Westminster City Council (WCC), I am writing to ask whether you are seeking injunctions to block asylum seekers from being placed in Westminster hotels, particularly those based in residential areas.
A WCC report published in spring last year confirmed that eight contingency hotels were in use across Westminster, with placements arranged by the Home Office. 1However, the council has not set out which hotels remain in operation or their locations.
The report itself highlighted serious concerns: “The living conditions are very challenging with a number of families and professionals voicing concerns and escalating these to the Home Office and Clearsprings, the company commissioned by the Home Office to manage the contingency hotels… there are individual hotels which have repeatedly been raised as hotels of concern.” 2
I hope that you will agree with me that housing asylum seekers in hotels is not practical or appropriate, both for those based there and for our surrounding communities.
Many of these people living in these hotels are extremely vulnerable, and accommodating them in residential areas increases and compounds the challenges they are facing.
A significant number of our residents have rightly and reasonably raised concerns over the safety of these hotels, the problems about which will be exacerbated by the cut of over 1,000 police officers across London planned to take place under the current Labour Government3, when there are already 1,000 fewer police officers in their posts since the present administration came to power in July last year. 4
The Home Office and central Government must therefore manage this situation more effectively, appropriately and sensitively.
Unfortunately, there has been little to no progress on resolving these matters since the current Government came into office last year, despite pledging to stop hotels being used to house asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament in 2029.5
We have hence concluded that the Government can only be spurred into action through issuing injunctions, as Epping Forest District Council successfully did last week, which has forced the Government to seek alternative accommodation options for asylum seekers.
In the recent case of Epping Forest District Council v Secretary of State for the Home Department, the High Court ruled that the use of a hotel for asylum seeker accommodation amounted to a material change of use requiring planning permission.
Furthermore, Lord Scarman had previously established in the case of Westminster City Council v Great Portland Estates plc [1985], which was referred to in deciding the Epping Forest District Council v Secretary of State for the Home Department, that Planning authorities are required to consider human factors in the decision-making process with regard to whether permission should or should not be granted:
"Personal circumstances of an occupier, personal hardship, the difficulties of businesses which are of value to the character of a community are not to be ignored in the administration of planning control.” 6
These cases provide a clear legal precedent that must now be considered by other local authorities, including Westminster.
We therefore ask you both, in your respective roles as Leader and Chief Executive of Westminster City Council, to address the following:
- What representations have you made to central Government on this issue?
- Can you confirm whether any/all the hotels in Westminster that are housing asylum seekers have received the relevant planning permission to have their use materially changed enabling them to house asylum seekers?
- If they have not, will you consider applying for injunctions to prevent the use of Westminster hotels for housing asylum seekers, especially in residential areas?
- If asylum seekers are moved from hotels, will you ensure they are not relocated to other Westminster Council-managed premises and that you will resist Government attempts to do so?
We hope you will agree that Westminster must stand up for the safety of its residents and to find more appropriate housing for those seeking asylum that is safe, lawful and sustainable.
We look forward to your response in a form which we can share with our residents and our local communities.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Paul Swaddle, Conservative Opposition Group Leader
Councillor for Regent’s Park Ward
