George Lithgow

The UK government has announced the closure of 13 more asylum hotels, including Blackpool’s Grade II-listed Grand Metropole and the Grosvenor Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon. The closures are expected to save £51 million and reduce the number of asylum hotels to below 160, as the government shifts residents to larger, more basic facilities such as former military sites and aims to end hotel use before the next election. Refugee Council representatives argue that military accommodation will not solve delays in Home Office decisions or the resulting dependence on asylum support, while several proposed and expanded sites continue to face local opposition.