Always keen to jump on any populist passing bandwagon, Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Mayor, last night made it known that he has got the geniuses in the council’s legal department working overtime to see if he can shut down any hotels in Croydon which are providing accommodation to asylum-seekers.
Failure: Tory Mayor Jason Perry wants to scapegoat refugees
Perry’s announcement was not made through formal council channels, but in a statement from the council’s Twitter account.
It came two days after the High Court granted Tory-run Epping Forest District Council’s temporary injunction against the Home Office for using the Bell Hotel as temporary accommodation for asylum-seekers. The injunction was granted because of a perceived breach of planning regulations.
Perry and other Conservative council leaders are being encouraged to try similar stunts – all using public funds, paid for by tax-payers.
Led by Croydon South MP Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, the Tories’ dog-whistle politics are stirring up the possibility of mass demonstrations outside asylum hotels across the country over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Among the first set of demos is taking place tonight, in Orpington, where Stand Up To Racism has organised a Defend Refugees counter-demonstration from 5.30pm, meeting at St Mary Cray Station.
But with local authorities seeking to evict asylum-seekers from their areas, the Labour government is scrambling to draw up a contingency plan as it braces for more legal challenges against the refugee hotels, even including some from Labour-run councils.
In Croydon, the council has (reasonably and properly in this instance) refused to respond to Freedom of Information requests seeking the name and location of any asylum hotels. It is believed that there may be at least two hotels in the borough that are used for the purpose, and that they have been housing refugees for at least four years.
According to the Home Office’s quarterly immigration figures, released yesterday, Croydon has more asylum-seekers housed than neighbouring boroughs.
There are 577 asylum-seekers housed in Croydon (as at June 30). That’s down by 174, from 751 at the end of March this year.
Figures for Bromley show 48 refugees being provided with temporary accommodation. In Sutton, there are none. Lambeth has 366 (down from 415 in March). In Southwark, it is 431 (down from 507).
The figures: there are fewer refugees housed in hotels now than there were under the Tories
There were 10,081 asylum seekers in the capital’s hotels in June, compared to 12,024 in March.
Data is not provided on the number of hotels in use, but it is thought there were more than 400 asylum hotels opened by the Conservative government in summer 2023, which Labour says it has reduced to fewer than 210 across the country.
Asylum-seekers are prevented from working while their applications are processed by the immigration authorities. The Home Office has made it a priority since last year to reduce the huge backlog of applications which had been allowed to build up over several years, and so reduce the need to provide temporary accommodation.
Last night, Croydon Mayor Perry did his own bit of attention-seeking, issued a statement saying: “Like many councils we are reviewing the High Court’s decision to grant a temporary injunction to Epping Forest District Council, and what this means for the future of asylum seeker accommodation.
“My priority will be to work closely with our partners and our communities, as we consider what this means for our borough.”
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
“The injunction was granted because of a perceived breach of planning regulations.” No wonder Croydon Council are looking at this closely; they must be experts in allowing breaches of planning regulations ?!
Amusing to see Philp, who was immigration minister, on TV criticising the hotels that he and his government set up.
Amusing only in a dark, dystopian manner where you’re left to despair at how low these no-notes will go.
577 is lot of ppl. Thats probably around £30-40k a day.
That’s the price you pay for (1) Brexit; (2) No “safe” routes for legal migrants; (3) 10 years of botched administration allowing backlogs over processing applications.
1,2,3 all valid and correct. Although it is government money …..that money could be used for essential public services instead of lining hotel owners’ pockets .
There are always questions over government procurement. At a time when many hotels are on the brink of going out of business (remember the Croydon Park and Selsdon Park hotels?), long-term block bookings really ought to have been at the lowest of prices.
When he’s not double-crossing carers or sacking lollipop ladies, he’s stirring things up against people fleeing war or death threats. How desperate must you be to leave everything and everyone and seek sanctuary in, of all places, Croydon?
The Campaign to Re-Elect Perry aka “Creep” has well and truly begun. It’s going to get a lot nastier between now and May 2026
If no one knows who the hotels are in Croydon, the asylum seekers are obviously not causing any problems. Unlike the hotel where the injunction was obtained
Er, *one* asylum seeker at the Bell Hotel in Epping has been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The rest are now living in fear, and are being abused if they dare venture out.
The far-right are saying that it’s right to judge whole groups of people by the actions of a few. They overlook such blemishes amongst their own socio-ethnic group, otherwise they’d be storming the Church of England.
Philp and Perry hope that by fanning the flames of irrational hatred their toxic brand of politics will do well at the next elections. Instead they’re increasing support for Reform and worse
There are 5 hotels in Croydon which house asylum seekers.
It ought to be obvious, Sam, why this website is not identifying the hotels, although we have in the past reported on the appalling conditions experienced by refugees while they have to wait for the Home Office to process their applications.
Shame the council have either demolished or sold off to higher bidders the big temporary accommodation units which could’ve housed them for cheaper. Do they magic new blocks out of thin air or do they made use of accommodation set up to house lots of people, such as hotels?
Mayor Perry should be ashamed of his behaviour. We need these people!
I’ve heard everything from military vessel or cruise ships being used to take asylum seekers to distant overseas British territories whilst their claims are processed, to a greater emphasis in getting claims processed in France. Although unfortunately if a claim is rejected in France, that wouldn’t stop an economic migrant trying to come to the UK if that is something they are very determined to do.
Sadly the French authorities are too relaxed about people making this illegal journey. One way or another, the dangerous journeys across the channel need to stop. This whole smashing the gangs concept seems to be a nonsense.
How is the journey “illegal”? If the people making the perilous journeys here were breaking any law, they’d be arrested