Airport hotel ‘in breach of planning laws’

A HOTEL near Manchester Airport could be breaching planning laws by increasing the number of asylum seekers staying at the facility.

Manchester City Council said Britannia Airport Hotel’s agreement with Home Office sub-contractor Serco to accommodate some 300 people was “completely unacceptable”.

The local authority said it was not notified of “a change of use”. Britannia Hotel Group was unavailable to comment when contacted by TheBusinessDesk today.

The Home Office has not confirmed how many asylum seekers were staying at the hotel in Northenden but Mike Kane, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, told the BBC 300 asylum seekers were being housed there.
 
Manchester City Council’s executive member for health and wellbeing Cllr Paul Andrews said: “We do not believe hotels are the appropriate place for asylum seekers to be placed.

“We believe there may be a change of nature at the Britannia Airport hotel- a change from hotel to hostel. I have asked planning officers to look at what is going on.

“We have also made it clear to Serco that failing to notify the council in advance of this action having been taken is completely unacceptable.”

Cllr Andrews went on to say the council has had no direct responsibility for providing accommodation and support to asylum seekers living within communities since 2012.

The Home Affairs Committee has recently warned there a shortage of housing for asylum seekers in the UK, including in Manchester and Rochdale was looming.

Serco said several hotels, including the 212-room Britannia Airport Hotel, were being used to accommodate asylum seekers.

Jenni Halliday, from Serco, told the BBC: “The availability of individual hotels changes, sometimes at very short notice and when that happens we work hard to make sure that we can make alternative arrangements to safely accommodate the asylum seekers and keep the local authorities informed.”