Police ‘taking action’ over issues in Northamptonshire village following Home Office hotel takeover

Police say they have taken a “number of actions” to tackle issues in a Northamptonshire village since a local hotel was taken over by the Home Office as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

Locals have reported a number of incidents to police, as well as on social media, and say they have also written to local MP Chris Heaton-Harris.

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the issues in Crick which are being reported to us by local residents and have taken a number of actions to tackle them.

“We have increased our presence in the area and are also working with our partners to identify those involved and enforce against them.

“We would ask that the local community continue reporting all incidents to us so we can deploy effectively and collect more information on what is happening.”

Other villagers have posted more sympathetic messages and said people thought to be staying at the hotel have been “very polite.”

The Home Office told West Northamptonshire Council back in March it intended to use hotels as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers across the country.

The 111-bed Ibis Rugby East hotel, close to junction 18 on the M1 and about a mile-and-a-half from the village centre, is said to be one used for mostly Albanian migrants.

The hotel is currently not taking bookings for anytime in 2023.

West Northamptonshire Council stressed this is a private arrangement between the Home Office and the hotel and it had not been involved in the provision of day-to-day support.

Joanne Barrett, the council's assistant director for housing and communities, said: “The Home Office is responsible for housing asylum seekers across the country.

“WNC is attending weekly partnership meetings and will be listening to the community to see where the council can help.”

Home Office says it does not comment on operational issues at hotels earmarked for asylum seekers and added that ‘accommodation providers’ are responsible for identifying suitable temporary accommodation and engaging with local authorities around proposed use of sites.

It pointed to unprecedented numbers of small boats arriving across the Channel putting pressure on the asylum system but insisted it was working to end the use of hotels which are costing UK taxpayers more than £5 million a day.

A spokesman said: “The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable and we are working with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.”

More than 30,000 people are believed to have made the crossing in small boats so far this year, already surpassing last year’s record.

Government officials have warned the total could reach 60,000 by the end of 2022. Dozens have died in the attempt in recent years.

Home secretary Suella Braverman told the Conservative Party conference this week that Albanians currently make up the majority of people crossing the English Channel on small boats.

She has claimed 80 percent of those arriving in the UK are Albanian — and believes some are claiming they are victims of modern slavery to avoid being deported.