A Romford hotel will stop housing asylum seekers after its contract was terminated by the Home Office.

In a letter sent to the town's MP Andrew Rosindell today (January 15), which the Recorder has seen, the Home Office said that it is beginning to exit hotel arrangements and stopping from adding new hotels to accommodate asylum seekers. 

The Romford hotel, the letter said, will end its hosting of them before the end of February 2024.

Asylum seekers staying there will be moved to other asylum estates and the Home Office said it aims to complete all relocations in advance of the final closure date.

Residents, they added, will be notified a minimum of five days in advance and moved by the Home Office in line with their policies. 

Mr Rosindell called it “extremely good news”, saying the hotel should “never have been used for the purpose of accommodating asylum seekers in the first place”.

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His spokesperson claimed it has caused “disruption” and “concern” among residents.  

Romford Recorder: MP Andrew Rosindell welcomed Home Office's decisionMP Andrew Rosindell welcomed Home Office's decision (Image: Parliament)Mr Rosindell added: “I am glad the government have finally listened to the concerns of local people and myself."

The Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London (RAMFEL), a charity which supports vulnerable migrants, previously blamed the Home Office for creating a backlog of asylum seekers, which it says forced them to use hotels.

Rudy Schulkind, advocacy officer at RAMFEL, said earlier this year it was unsustainable to house migrants in hotels.

He added: “We agree that people should not be living in contingency accommodation, but people should be allowed to work and pay their taxes so they’re not reliant on the state.”

The Home Office in their letter today claimed that the use of hotels was a “short-term measure” to ensure that the government “meets its statutory obligation to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute during a period of unprecedented numbers of small boat arrivals”.

They said: "Utilising hotels for asylum accommodation takes valuable assets away from communities, places pressure on local public services and imposes an unacceptable cost on the British taxpayer."