The Britannia Hotel in Wolverhampton was used to temporarily accommodate hundreds of asylum seekers
Council presidents across the region are angry that asylum seekers are being temporarily accommodated in hotels.
Serco, who heads the Home Office’s asylum seeker apportionment program, says he has “no alternative” other than using hotels as the number of people arriving in the UK has “increased significantly”.
More than 13,000 migrants are said to have traveled across the English Channel to Great Britain this year.
200 asylum seekers and refugees are at the Britannia Hotel, Wolverhampton
Jenni Halliday, Serco’s contract director for asylum accommodation, said: “With the number of people arriving in the UK increasing significantly, we had no alternative but to temporarily accommodate some asylum seekers in hotels.
“These hotels are only used as a last resort, but as a provider of accommodation services on behalf of the Interior Ministry, we are responsible for finding accommodation for the asylum seekers in our care.
“The Serco team is working extremely hard to get people into scattered social housing as quickly as possible.”
Up to 135 asylum seekers are accommodated at the Holiday Inn Birmingham North in Cannock
A government spokesman said it was determined to “end the use of temporary accommodation as soon as possible.”
Staffordshire County Council Chairman Alan White said it was worrying that the agency had “no say” in the placement of asylum seekers in the county.
Last month, Wolverhampton Council Chairman Ian Brookfield said that local authorities across the region are “bearing the brunt” of the UK’s “broken” asylum system.
Earlier this year, council presidents of seven West Midlands authorities petitioned to be pulled out of the distribution program after claiming the region had taken in more than its fair share of asylum seekers.
