Responding to the immigration minister Robert Jenrick’s announcement that fifty hotels will be closed to asylum seekers by January, Labour’s Neil MacDonald warned that ministers must not ask Ipswich council tax payers to pick up the bill.

Labour’s Neil MacDonald said,

“Here in Ipswich we have already seen funding support from government collapse by £11.5million in real terms – and the runaway inflation after the Conservatives crashed the economy has hit us hard.

“Under Rishi Sunak, the asylum system has grown completely out of control with more than 20,000 arriving by small boats this year – in spite of his promise to stop the boats – and a backlog of 175,000 people now waiting for a decision. We all want to see this government get a grip – but they can’t do that by shifting the problem onto Ipswich council tax payers.

“Ipswich has a proud history of supporting humanitarian efforts and many people here are working hard to support refugees. We share the government’s ambitions to end hotel use for asylum seekers. We also need advance engagement on what other alternatives, including large sites, will be opened up both for those leaving hotels and for ongoing new arrivals.

“There is already huge demand for housing across the country – including here in Ipswich. Shifting asylum seekers out of expensive hotels is long overdue, but there needs to be a joined-up approach nationally, regionally and locally to manage the move to ensure areas like Ipswich don’t bear an unfair burden.”

Cllr Shaun Davies, Chair of the Local Government Association said:

“Hotel closures have a direct impact on councils and local government wants to play an active role in working with government on the decisions on which hotels to close.

“Combined pressures from these many schemes are growing on councils and there continues to be an issue across the refugee and asylum system. We need a joined-up approach across central and local government to the cumulative pressures on local services from all asylum and resettlement programmes. This needs to include urgent solutions to our pressing housing needs in the short and the long term across all the schemes that welcome new arrivals to the UK.

“Councils are also becoming increasingly concerned over the numbers of asylum seekers presenting as homeless which is likely to dramatically increase when Home Office accommodation is withdrawn as a result of the current clearance of the asylum backlog. Given increased demand and the acute shortage of housing available across the country, it will make it extremely challenging for those leaving accommodation to find affordable, long-term accommodation and there needs to be a joint and funded approach nationally, regionally and locally to manage the move on from asylum accommodation and avoid risks of destitution and street homelessness throughout the winter.”