A HOTEL in Basingstoke will no longer be used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, Basingstoke's MP has said.

Basingstoke's MP Maria Miller has said the Home Office will be terminating its contract with a hotel in the borough, which will cease to be used as temporary asylum accommodation by the end of the year. 

The Home Office had declined to name the hotel or give more information to the Gazette.

The government has started the process of returning hotels which have temporarily been accommodating asylum seekers to their normal use.

The news has been welcomed by Basingstoke's MP Maria Miller who said the borough has "long endured a shortage of hotel accommodation" for businesses and families. 

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"The use of hotels was only ever a short-term measure to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute during a period of unprecedented numbers of small boat arrivals. It was brilliant news, therefore, that a Basingstoke hotel is in the recent group of 50 hotels across the country which will be returned to normal use," Miller said.

Despite this figures from the Home Office show that 185 people were claiming asylum assistance in the borough as of December 2022, up from 109 a year before. 

While awaiting a decision asylum seekers are unable to work but can be entitled to financial assistance and accommodation through what is known as 'Section 95' support.

Claimants may also be eligible for Section 98 – which is given to those who appear destitute and are waiting to see if they are eligible for Section 95 – or Section 4 after a claim is rejected.

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Of the 185 people in Basingstoke, 29 were receiving Section 95 support. 

The Gazette understands the borough will have one remaining hotel being used for asylum accommodation, which Miller hopes will be returned to a normal hotel soon.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said: “Taxpayers cannot be expected to foot the eye-watering bill for the use of hotels to accommodate individuals making illegal, dangerous and wholly unnecessary small boat crossings.  

“Our strategy to stop the boats is making progress. With small boat arrivals down more than 20 per cent compared with last year, we can now start to restore these hotels to their rightful use for local communities.

“We remain absolutely determined, through the implementation of the Illegal Migration Act and our Rwanda Partnership, to dismantle the smuggling gangs’ business models and stop the boats entirely.”

The government has not published a detailed list of the hotels being used to house asylum seekers. A list of the 50 hotels that are due to stop taking asylum seekers before the end of January has also not yet been published.

Miller was also unable to confirm the name of the hotel.