Thousands of people back council's calls for re-think over asylum seeker hotel plan

Thousands of people have objected to asylum seekers being put up at a Wigan hotel - sharing council bosses' concerns it isn't a suitable place for them to stay.

More than 3,500 people have signed a petition calling for the Home Office to have a re-think. Wigan council has publicly named the hotel as Kilhey Court in Standish. Town hall leader David Molyneux previously said there were 'significant concerns' about the hotel being used to house refugees.

“Our stance regarding hotels being used for these purposes has been voiced consistently over a number of years," he said in a statement.

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“We have highlighted in this most recent letter numerous reasons why this particular hotel is not suitable, due to its location and limited local amenities, along with several other factors, including the added strain placed on limited public services.

“The proximity to another borough hotel which is currently in use as a contingency accommodation for asylum seekers, and has been for a number of years, is another factor.

“We have made strong representations to Home Office officials and their contractor Serco previously, and we have urged them to reconsider this latest decision as a matter of urgency."

The Britannia Hotel, also in Standish, has been used to house asylum seekers for several years.

Prostest have been held over the issue. Former councillor Gareth Fairhurst handed in the petition at Downing Street this week.

"The council didn’t say they were opposed to having the economic migrants, they said they would support them, but just not in the hotel," he said.

Coun Dane Anderton, cabinet member for police, crime and civil contingencies, recently said