The government is under intense pressure to reduce numbers at the Manston immigration processing center in Kent, where there have been reports of overcrowding, diphtheria and MRSA. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News on Tuesday that more hotel rooms are being supplied at a pace to accommodate temporary migrants. However, several councils say they have been forced to seek High Court action after local hotel rooms were booked without prior consultation. Ipswich Borough Council has been given an emergency order to stop the four-star Novotel hotel in Ipswich or “any other hotel in the borough” being used to house asylum seekers. “This is the latest stage in the council’s efforts to prevent the government from turning hotels into hostels for asylum seekers,” a spokesman said. The order will last till the Supreme Court’s next hearing on November 7, they added. Stoke City Council was granted an interim injunction on October 21 stopping the “use of a local hotel as a hostel to accommodate asylum seekers”. The case will return to the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Click to subscribe to Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts Great Yarmouth Council said it had received its own order for “a hotel in a prime tourist location” to cater for migrants. A cease and desist notice was also put on a hostel in the area which is used in the same way – but this has expired, with the council “considering further enforcement action”. The authority said it had “always expressed our willingness to work with the Home Office to find suitable properties to host asylum seekers”, but was not notified first. “The absence of any meaningful dialogue or intention to follow due process from the Home Office has resulted in us taking this course of action,” the spokesman said. Advice not told beforehand The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said there were “increasingly urgent concerns” about the issue. It claims there is “not enough time to consult – or even sometimes to inform local councils in advance”. On Monday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman denied reports that she had blocked the use of hotels for migrants in conservative constituencies. He told the House of Commons: “In no way did I prevent the provision of hotels or alternative accommodation to ease the pressure on Manston, that is simply not true.” Read More: Why Is Suella Braverman Causing Controversy? Analysis – Braverman Is Still Untangled He said 30 new hotels have been made available to asylum seekers since September 6. He added that around 4,000 people have since been moved from the overcrowded Manston facility, where there are claims of “humane conditions” being breached. On the use of four-star hotels for migrants, Ms Braverman said: “To me, this is not an acceptable use of taxpayers’ money.” Minister says finding ‘even more hotels’ Immigration Minister Jenrick added on Tuesday that Ms Braverman and former Home Secretary Priti Patel had both tried to reserve more hotel rooms for migrants. “More hotels are coming online almost every month throughout this year,” he said. “So Suella Braverman and her predecessor, Priti Patel, were procuring more hotels. What I’ve done in my short tenure is to complete that and procure even more.” Sky News has contacted the Home Office for further comment.
