Hotel near Oswestry will no longer to be used to house asylum seekers

The Home Office and Serco, working to find placements for those wanted asylum in the UK has told Shropshire Council that the hotel, on the Shropshire/north Wales border would be used.

But Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire Helen Morgan and Shropshire Councillor Steve Davenport said on Friday that there had been a u-turn on the decision.

The news had prompted concern that the site was away from a town centre with no local services.

Helen Morgan said: "We have a duty to care for asylum seekers but putting them up in accommodation in North Shropshire with no public transport links or services and a two-mile walk to the nearest shop is not appropriate.

“The local community and I shared many concerns but the Government refused to listen and only appears to have cancelled the plans because of problems agreeing a contract.

“This entire process has been a shambles and is a typical example of the chaos in the Home Office.

“Emergency services, health providers and local authorities have been working extremely hard to prepare for the arrival of these asylum seekers only for it to be cancelled at the last minute.

“The Home Office needs to focus its resources on clearing the huge backlog of asylum cases the Conservatives have allowed to build up.

"It must also start properly consulting with local areas to ensure that any accommodation used is appropriate for both the asylum seekers and the local community.”

The hotel was due to have been brought into use next week.

It would have been the second to be allocated by Serco in Shropshire - the first in Shrewsbury town centre.