London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Hotel is wrong place for migrants, says North Devon Council

Hotel is wrong place for migrants, says North Devon Council

Council bosses have said they were not consulted by the Home Office about the arrival of at least 55 migrants at a hotel at a seaside resort.

North Devon Council said the hotel in Ilfracombe was an "unsuitable location" for them due to its remoteness.

North Devon MP Selaine Saxby asked the Home Office directly for an "urgent and detailed consultation" with the council.

The Home Office said the use of hotels was a "short-term solution".


'I don't know what to do'


Councillor David Worden, leader of the council, said he was told in October by the government that the hotel would not be used to house migrants.

He said: "We were not consulted or formally notified about this change in direction from the Home Office, nor do we have a full understanding at this stage of their intentions for the hotel's future use."

He warned Ilfracombe was an "unsuitable location for use as asylum accommodation due to its remoteness and the likely impact of the loss of an operating hotel on the local economy".

BBC News spoke to one migrant, who did not want to say where he was from, but moved from Croydon and arrived in Ilfracombe at about 02:00 GMT on Thursday.

He said: "I don't think that this is the right place, because in London I used to have an Orthodox Church where everything is in my language and I understood everything.

"Now I don't know what to do, because I have no information and they are not telling us how long we are going to stay here. I don't know what is happening."

Linda White, who resides in north Devon, said Ilfracombe was not the right location to bring asylum seekers.

She said: "It was done I think behind everyone's back, there aren't homes for the people down here anyway.

"A lot of people can't get a dentist, a doctor or a hospital appointment, and they have put these poor people down here."

Local Karen Dart said residents would have "liked a bit more consultation", but knew that "people need help and they are leaving countries that have problems so they are welcome".

Mr Worden said he recognised the council's "responsibility to help people seeking safety in the UK", and said the council, Devon County Council and Ms Saxby intended to gain a "full understanding" of the Home Office's "intentions for the hotel's future".

It comes as Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been criticised over the conditions at a migrant processing centre at Manston in Kent.

There are thousands of migrants at the camp, which local Conservative MP Roger Gale said had been "overwhelmed".

A coach arriving at the Manston processing centre in Kent this week


Ms Saxby said the Home Office needed to find a solution for processing asylum claims.

"This is just not an appropriate way to treat people who are seeking asylum in our country and I hope now they are with us in Ilfracombe they are at least more comfortable than where they've come from," she said.

The Home Office said: "The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

"The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable - there are currently more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6m a day.

"The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×