VOLUNTEER groups in Bromsgrove have accused the home office of treating asylum seekers "like cattle."

A decision by the Home Office to move those seeking asylum out of the Ibis Budget Hotel in Bromsgrove at short notice has been slammed by two support groups.

Johannah Dyer, chair of Bromsgrove & District Asylum Seeker Support group, has said that around 70 men seeking asylum are currently living at the hotel.  

Ms Dyer said she was informed this morning (October 27) that the Ibis Hotel would be one of the first out of 50 hotels across the country to stop admitting asylum seekers.

She told The Advertiser: "My understanding is the hotel will be all but closed by Wednesday (November 1) of next week," she said.

"They are all moving to other hotels in the West Midlands area".

She explained that some living at the Finstall Road hotel have been working in charity shops in the town and studying at college.

The volunteer added: "They are all very distressed.

"They are absolutely devastated. I think it's inhumane. The men are settled here. They are going through the process of having their asylum granted".

The Bromsgrove & District Asylum Seeker Support was formed in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic initially to support asylum seekers at the nearby Bromsgrove Hotel and Spa.

Yvonne Rendell, the chair of the Bromsgrove & Redditch Welcome Refugees group, believes the decision has been made for “purely political reasons” and said it demonstrates how “vulnerable people seeking sanctuary are being treated like cattle”.

She said: "These are people who've been through often unimaginable trauma to seek sanctuary in the UK.

They're simply human beings just like us. This latest move is cruel and it's heartbreaking.

"A huge majority of asylum seekers will ultimately be granted asylum because their claims are genuine, but this sort of treatment does nothing to prepare them for life in our communities.

"Thanks largely to the support of Bromsgrove volunteers, the group of men living at the Ibis Hotel have enjoyed weekly English lessons and a regular football kick-around.

"They've been provided with clothing and other support. They've formed relationships, become familiar with the town in which they live and started to create a new life.

"All of this will be lost when they're herded away in a move designed to create headlines and save money."

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Office continues to provide safe accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, as we work to end the use of hotels which are costing UK taxpayers £8.2million a day.

“Accommodation is allocated on a no-choice basis and individuals may be moved to other locations in line with the Allocation of Accommodation guidance.

“We will work closely with accommodation providers and local authorities to manage the exit process in a way which limits the impact on partners and service users alike.”

According to the Home Office, asylum seekers are not detained at hotels and are free to leave their accommodation. They confirmed that residents currently accommodated in the hotels they will be exiting will be moving to other parts of their "asylum estate" and are notified a minimum of five days in advance.