Stevenage Council Slams Government for 24-Hour Asylum Hotel Dump
Stevenage Borough Council was left in the lurch after the Home Office gave them just one day’s notice before sending nearly 180 asylum seekers into a town centre hotel. At Wednesday’s executive committee meeting, leader Baroness Taylor of Stevenage blasted the move as reckless and chaotic.
Baroness Taylor: “Unacceptable and Unsafe”
Baroness Taylor revealed the council only learned of the Home Office’s plan on Saturday, December 3 — a mere four days before the asylum seekers arrived. With 183 already in a hotel off the A1, this latest influx took total numbers to 361 housed across Stevenage.
“We have a shared obligation to help those fleeing terrible situations,” she said. “But the Home Office gave us no time to prepare for safety or community support. This is completely unacceptable.”
She warned the rushed hotel placements strain public services such as education, health, and social care, risking decades of community cohesion work.
Government’s ‘Spot-Booking’ Sparks Fury
The Home Office sealed a last-minute spot-booking deal with the hotel in mid-November — without telling MPs, councillors, or council officers. The council says the hotel will house asylum seekers until December 16, but the arrangement is far from smooth.
Baroness Taylor blamed ministers for failing to plan long-term housing solutions and botching the asylum system. “They knew numbers were rising but still left councils scrambling,” she said.
Asylum Numbers Hit Highs Amid Chaos
Latest data shows the UK received 52,525 asylum applications in the year to September 2022. While that’s below the 2002 peak of over 84,000, it’s still a huge increase from lows in 2010 and points to growing pressure on councils nationwide.
A Home Office spokesperson admitted the system is under “incredible strain” but refused to comment on individual hotel arrangements.
For Stevenage, the chaos is clear — and locals fear the fallout from government mismanagement.
