Recommendation 33

The use of hotels for asylum accommodation was intended to be a short- term, contingency measure and consequently people in Contingency Accommodation do not “count” towards the Home Office’s plans for the distribution of asylum seekers across the country. In practice, there are Contingency hotels that have been open in some areas for years and may not close for some time, including hotels that were opened without even informing the local authority. Given the long-term use of many hotels, and the high proportion of asylum seekers currently accommodated in these hotels, the failure to join up the procurement of Dispersal and Contingency Accommodation is unfair on local authorities and unacceptable. The factors considered when setting targets for Dispersal Accommodation—such as homelessness pressures and arrivals on humanitarian schemes—should also be considered when deciding to open, or close, Contingency hotels. (Conclusion, Paragraph 140) 103