Fenland District Council says it is “disappointed” to have lost its High Court battle to prevent a Wisbech hotel being used to accommodate asylum seekers.  

The Council had applied for an interim injunction after learning that the Rose and Crown Hotel in Wisbech Market Place was being used to accommodate asylum seekers.

But in a ruling heard on Friday (November 25), Mr Justice Holgate dismissed the council’s bid against the hotel’s operators and Home Office contractor Serco.  

Cllr Chris Boden, leader of Fenland District Council, said: “We are obviously disappointed that we were unsuccessful in securing an interim injunction to stop the use of a local hotel as a hostel by accommodating asylum seekers.    

“We remain deeply concerned about the housing of asylum seekers there, as there has been no consideration of the potential risks these vulnerable people will be facing or the significant amount of support they will need.”    

Earlier this month, the council was initially refused an urgent injunction and returned to court on Wednesday, arguing there were concerns about the safety and welfare of the people staying at the hotel.

Lawyers had also previously said that Wisbech had “significant deprivation”, “organised crime” and a “history of migrant exploitation”.

But at the ruling, Mr Justice Holgate, said: “It is not said that the hotel is unsuitable, the point made by the claimant is that the town is.”

He added that “a generalised point is made with very little detail” regarding potential migrant exploitation.

“No real link has been put forward between a problem that exists on a national scale and the accommodation of asylum seekers in a hotel,” he said.  

The High Court in London heard that around 21 people at a time are staying at the historic Grade II listed three-star hotel, including some from the Manston processing centre in Kent.

Cllr Steve Tierney, is the district councillor for Medworth, where the Rose and Crown is located.  

In a statement issued after the ruling, he said the council began legal proceedings on November 4 as soon as Serco confirmed the hotel would accommodate asylum seekers.

Wisbech Standard: Councillor Steve Tierney is disappointed at the ruling.Councillor Steve Tierney is disappointed at the ruling. (Image: FDC)

He said: “Sadly Serco placed some Asylum Seekers into the hotel that evening and 21 individuals are currently in residence.  

“We had hoped the injunction today would have made SERCO find alternative accommodation but the judge ruled otherwise.”

Wisbech Standard: Councillor Samantha Hoy said the council's case was 'materially different'.Councillor Samantha Hoy said the council's case was 'materially different'. (Image: Fenland District Council)

Cllr Samantha Hoy, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, added: “We believe we had a strong case to take to court.  

“Our case was materially different to that of other councils who had previously been unsuccessful.  

“Other councils had a month’s notice, and we received no notice at all.

“Furthermore, we know, and Serco had already recognised, that Wisbech is an inappropriate place to house asylum seekers because of the exceptional and recognised problems in the area, including illegal gangmasters, human trafficking and modern-day slavery.  

“We were also concerned about the effect on availability of local services and potential issues of social cohesion.”