“Council notes:
2025 has been the worst year ever for small boat crossings with over 37,000 people crossing the channel this year alone, leaving immigration policy under this government in tatters.
This Council resolves:
To request the Chief Executive to urgently assess the merits of seeking legal advice to prevent the use of local hotels for migrant accommodation where it is deemed to be in the best interests of the community. We also request the Chief Executive to ask officers to consider every option and seek legal advice on using injunctions, stop notices and other planning enforcement against change of use to prevent asylum hotels from being opened.”
Amendment to be proposed by Councillor Bools and seconded by Councillor M Mullaney:
“Council notes:
1. The previous Conservative government broke the immigration system. They began the use of asylum hotels and failed to process asylum claims in a timely manner.
2. The Conservative Members of Parliament representing the borough backed the previous government in vote after vote and are therefore implicated in this failure.
3. Under Labour, this situation is no better. 2025 has been the worst year ever for small boat crossings with over 37,000 people crossing the channel this year alone.
4. Both major parties have failed, leaving people across the country feeling let down.
5. The Conservatives, both locally and nationally, have suffered huge losses in recent local elections to both the Liberal Democrats and Reform and are getting ever more desperate as their support erodes further.
This Council further notes:
1. That there are currently no hotels anywhere in Hinckley & Bosworth borough being used for asylum seekers. This hasn’t always been the case, the previous government used a hotel in Earl Shilton for asylum accommodations, despite concerns being raised directly with the Home Office by the Leader of the Council, the fire service and other public bodies about the safety of the accommodation. Eventually the Home Office listened and took on board the concerns and closed the hotel but not before significant concern was caused locally.
2. The response from the Leader of the Council to Peter Bedford MP where he has stated that he would seek to block any hotels in the borough should the government seek to bring them forward.
This Council resolves:
1. To congratulate the Leader of the Council for his stance both on this and his recent message of tolerance, diversity and inclusivity at the last Council meeting.
2. To oppose any future use of hotels for asylum seekers as tourism is a large part of the economy in our area and we already have a shortage of hotel space for visitors.
3. That, should the government propose the use of any hotel for housing immigrants in the borough, the Chief Executive will call a special meeting of the Council to discuss our response.
4. To condemn Conservative central office for circulating a “cut and paste” motion designed to scaremonger and stir up division in a short-sighted attempt to shore up support in light of their poor poll ratings and election losses.”
Minutes:
This motion was withdrawn prior to the meeting.