Unknown if Bedford hotel will stop housing asylum seekers by the end of January

It is unknown if a Bedford hotel is one of the properties that will stop housing asylum seekers by the end of January.

Last month, the Home Office announced that 50 hotels across the UK will stop housing asylum seekers over the next three months.

The Home Office said it had already notified local authorities, MPs and the accommodation providers, and the initial efforts will focus on hotels that can be “exited quickly.”

A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “There is only one hotel in the borough being used to house asylum seekers.

“And we have been able to confirm that it is not included on the list of 50 hotels.”

As part of the announcement (October 24) the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, said this was as a result of a “more than 20% drop” in small boat crossings compared to last year.

Asylum seekers currently accommodated in these hotels will be moving to other parts of the UK’s asylum estate, including the Bibby Stockholm barge.