Home Office terminates contracts for two asylum seeker hotels in Milton Keynes

They will return to being normal hotels
By Sally Murrer
Published 15th Jan 2024, 12:19 GMT
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Home Office is set to terminate the contracts for two asylum seeker hotels in Milton Keynes.

The first, Woughton House Hotel at Woughton on the Green, was selected two years ago to house more than 100 migrants freshly arriving in the UK to seek asylum.

It is still housing the guests, mainly young males, despite being up for sale with a price tag of more than £6m.

Woughton House Hotel has been housing asylum seekers for two years. Now the contract is to be terminated,Woughton House Hotel has been housing asylum seekers for two years. Now the contract is to be terminated,
Woughton House Hotel has been housing asylum seekers for two years. Now the contract is to be terminated,
Most Popular

The second hotel, Harben House in Newport Pagnell, hit problems last summer before it could even take any asylum seekers. It was revealed its owner had previous convictions and a prison sentence for offences, including perverting the course of justice and forging documents.

Now its multi-million pound contract to take 200 asylum seekers has now been officially removed, along with Woughton House. Both contracts will cease in March and is is thought that both premises will revert to running as standard hotels.

Milton Keynes North MP Ben Everitt had been instrumental in stopping the asylum seeker use of Harben House.

He said today (Monday): “It has now been confirmed the contracts with the hotels will be terminated and will cease being used by the end of March.

“The Home Office has assured residents additional resources will be in place to work with accommodation providers and local partners to manage this process and minimise disruption, particularly focusing on families.”

Ben added: “I know residents have been concerned about the use of asylum seeker hotels in Milton Keynes so I'm delighted both hotels used for asylum seekers will return to being normal hotels.

"This is only possible because of all our hard work on stopping illegal immigration with small boat arrivals down by 36 per cent in 2023.

"We've changed the law so that if people come here illegally they will not be able to claim asylum in the UK and have increased the number of officers patrolling the French coast by 40 per cent.

"We're getting on with the job while Labour have tried to stop us and played politics at every opportunity nationally and locally."