East Lindsey DC is threatening to become the latest council to take legal action over the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers.
The council has formally submitted a pre-action letter to the Home Office, paving the way for a judicial review seeking to ban the use of hotels in Skegness as hostels for people seeking asylum.
Five hotels in the town have already been secured by contractor Serco, but East Lindsey has argued this represents a material change of use, which requires planning permission.
The council contends it contradicts its local plan, which seeks to restrict the loss of hotels in Skegness to other uses, would ‘harm its reputation as a family resort,’ place a ‘potentially unsustainable burden’ on primary healthcare and ‘begin to undermine social cohesion’.
Government has yet to respond, but will be given the chance to ‘engage with the council to agree a resolution as an alternative’ to legal action.
Council leader Craig Leyland said: ‘The unlawful use of hotels as hostels, which goes against planning policy, is depleting the supply of accommodation on offer for tourists and this use is not helping our reputation as a family holiday resort, which is a vital part of the local economy.
‘We understand the national pressures faced by the Home Office in finding suitable accommodation for those seeking asylum in the UK but we call for a halt to the procurement of any more hotels in Skegness and wider East Lindsey.’
A raft of authorities have launched legal action over the use of hotel accommodation.
Great Yarmouth BC last month secured an ongoing injunction, but elsewhere councils such as Fenland DC have seen the High Court rule against them.
This article was originally published by The MJ (£).
