It comes as the number of people arriving in the UK reaches “record levels”, with Manston detention center in Kent overcrowded at the start of the month. As a result, around 2,500 people have moved into hotels across the country, including branches of Holiday Inns. READ MORE: Police seek CCTV footage after attempted burglary in Chalgrove The Holiday Inn Express on Grenoble Road is now used as temporary accommodation for refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine. According to the Home Office, the cost of hosting asylum seekers in hotels is £5.6 million a day and the cost of hosting Afghans in bridge hotels is £1.2 million a day. However, the Home Office, which arranges accommodation for refugees, did not consult Oxford City Council about the use of the hotel before people arrived. The authority and Asylum Welcome, an organization that helps asylum seekers in Oxfordshire, criticized the government body for “poor planning”. Councilor Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council, said: “We are very concerned that the Home Office is placing vulnerable migrants in local hotels without any consultation with local authorities and police forces. “Our city and county councils and local police are vital in providing community support and reassurance services. “We have repeatedly asked the Home Office to contact us if they intend to place refugees and asylum seekers in our local community so that we can help plan their arrival. “We will continue to try to work with the Home Office because we want a constructive discussion about how we can work better together. “Refugees have a legal right to asylum. In Oxford we are proud to be a city of refuge and ready to play our part in helping refugees rebuild their lives safely. READ MORE: Historic suspension bridge declared ‘SAFE’ by Historic England “We have seen in recent years that the city welcomes refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine. I would like to thank all those council staff, Asylum Welcome, our local mosques and all the other local volunteers who stepped up to quickly provide support and welcome to those arriving in our town.” An Oxford City Council spokesman added: “We want to reassure residents that there is a strong local partnership working to provide the right support for those staying at the hotel as well as the local community. “We have recent experience in providing such support following refugee arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine. “We are working with local partners, including the police, the County Council and Asylum Welcome, and will continue to seek more information from the Home Office about the services they provide and their expectations of local support.” A Home Office spokesman said: “The number of people arriving in the UK in need of accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible pressure. “The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6 million a day. Using hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find suitable accommodation.” They added that the Home Office does not comment on the operational arrangements for individual sites used for asylum accommodation, but said the government “works with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation”. READ MORE: ‘Highly unlikely’ others will survive same 100mph crash on A34, fire crews say He said the hotels were a “short-term solution to the global migration crisis” and that he “urged local authorities to do everything they can to help house people permanently”. – This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior media reporter. Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot. Contact her by email: [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland
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