Two major hotels in and around Northampton reopen to public after hundreds of Afghanistan refugees are kicked out

Two major hotels in and around Northampton have reopened to the public after housing hundreds of Afghanistan refugees for over a year.

West Northants Council (WNC) has confirmed that it has helped all 220 Afghan refugees at the two bridging hotels into private accommodation.

The Government announced in July that Afghanistan refugees staying in bridging hotels across the country would leave by the end of August this year.

Councillor David Smith, WNC’s cabinet member for community safety and engagement, and regulatory services, said: “Following the announcement in parliament that Afghan bridging hotels will be ending; notice to quit was issued for the end of August at two hotels in West Northamptonshire.

“We are pleased to report that since the announcement, our resettlement teams have worked hard to successfully source alternative accommodation for all 220 individuals. This has been achieved through a mixture of working with private landlords and other local authorities, families finding their own accommodation in the private sector, and additional LAHF funding to source suitable housing.

“Our teams will continue to work with our Afghan families and provide appropriate support as they build their lives here in the UK.”

The two hotels housing the refugees were Holiday Inn in Bedford Road and Holiday Inn in the village of Flore.

Both sites have been closed to the public and guarded by security officers since the refugees first moved in.

Members of the public are once again able to book a room at the hotel after not being able to do so since the scheme started.

Holiday Inn has been contacted for comment.

The Home Office has also been contacted for comment.

The Home Office previously 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 £5.6 million a day.”

When the Taliban gained control of Kabul in August 2021, the UK promised a safe haven for those fleeing persecution. There were around 9,000 Afghans living in hotels in the UK before the scheme ended.