A hotel in Oldham has cancelled bookings after being selected by the Home Office to house asylum seekers over Christmas.
The site, which the M.E.N have decided not to name to protect staff, closed over the weekend, with those staying in the establishment offered alternative accommodation for the rest of their booking.
Customers with room bookings at the hotel are being contacted by staff to arrange alternative accommodation.
READ MORE:
There is no time frame set out as to how long refugees will be housed in a hotel for but in October, some councils reported that Afghan refugees evacuated from Kabul in August could be living in hotels for up to a year.
Concerned customers with bookings at the hotel have been anxious about the venue's availability, after the rumoured closure was reported on social media at the start of December.
Lucy Claire Smith, 30, and her fiance, Dave, booked their wedding at the venue earlier this year, setting a date for March 19, 2022, to tie the knot.
The carer, who lives in Hollinwood, was left furious about the confusion over whether her wedding would be able to take place, after spending several days trying to get information from the hotel about the rumoured closure.
"I can't get to a week before my wedding or whenever and be told it's cancelled," she said.
"It's been hard trying to get information, it's just very stressful, we've been through so much with Covid and losing loved ones and now we've got this to deal with too.
"My wedding planner at the venue, she's done really well. To be honest, she's pretty much in the same boat, she doesn't really know what's happening. She's been trying to give me any information she can but she's not sure how long it's going to be closed for.
"I don't find it very fair, I'm devastated. It's a once in a lifetime that you're going to get married and for them to do this so close, it's just so upsetting."
Now, the couple say they felt forced to cancel their booking for March 19, after being left in the dark about what was going on at the hotel destroyed their faith in the firm.
The couple have now received a full refund, and are hoping to find a new venue that can accommodate them on their chosen date.
Council leader's statement
In a statement released on Tuesday, December 14, Oldham council leader Arooj Shah confirmed that the asylum seekers had now arrived at the hotel, and stressed that the decision was not made by the local authority.
She said: “We’ve been informed that asylum seekers have now arrived safely at a hotel in Oldham.
“Over the weekend, I joined our engagement teams to speak with residents in the area, and am very grateful for the patience and understanding of the local community at what will be a worrying and confusing time for our new arrivals.
“I know that Oldhamers will be kind and support these people, many of whom will not understand English and who may have had a very difficult experience before arriving here.
“Oldham has a proud history of welcoming people of all nationalities, and we are ready and willing to play our part in helping these vulnerable people who have been through so much. That said, we as a council do not have a choice in how many asylum seekers we accommodate here.
"When planning how and where to accommodate asylum seekers, hotels make a commercial decision in liaison with regional providers, which in the North West is Serco. Serco then produces a list of hotels for the Home Office, which then informs councils which hotels are to be used. The council is not part of the decision-making process for emergency asylum placements.
“As a council, we do not receive any funding for the asylum seekers we accommodate in the borough; although the local NHS does receive some funding to enable people to receive healthcare."
The council knocked on over 500 doors this weekend to talk with residents after wide-spread concerns posted on social media over the last two weeks, and uploaded a list of frequently asked questions, and their answers, to their website.
A senior member of staff at the hotel told the MEN that the site has now closed for an external contract, but any bookings are being offered alternative accommodation.
Staff are contacting customers to let them know of the closure, and offer alternative arrangements where possible.
Jackie Dijon, who runs Failsworth dress store Bespoke Wedding Boutique, said she knew staff at the hotel in question who had received online abuse as a result of the uncertainty over the refugee program.
She said: "I have a few friends who work there and they didn't know anything about what was going on until they saw it on social media.
"They're being abused on a daily basis by people phoning them up, calling them awful names, saying they're going to be protesting the site, and threatening to do horrible things to them.
"I'm frightened for their welfare, I went in yesterday and I witnessed three members of staff crying - they shouldn't have to put up with any abuse."
A Home Office spokesperson told the MEN they would not confirm which hotels had been chosen to house refugees in order to protect those living there.
