What will happen to all the immigrants housed in hotels?

[RedSkyatNight25]

We are buying a house at the moment and since expressing an interest a local hotel only 3miles away from the house and in what would be our village/town centre. It’s a very rural community. The house is quite unique in what it offers and we haven’t seen anything that ticks our boxes in the same way - we first viewed a while ago.

There’s uproar locally about anti social behaviour on the village green/children’s play park and a sexual assault which resulted in an arrest. There’s videos circulating online with Middle Aged men making death threat gestures. Obviously I don’t know what preceded the death threats. All associated with the occupants of the hotel.

DH says this happens everywhere and that they will be dispersed eventually to social housing which there is none in the village. His view is we should crack on.

Where we will be is relatively isolated so they’re not likely to disturb our enjoyment of the house but the kids school, the park, the local shops are all in the vicinity of where the trouble is.

I’m trying not to express a view as to whether or not I agree with the decision to house them - just thinking practically re the longer term outlook.

Well presumably the hotel option was the cheapest option and now something more expensive will have to be found.

3 miles away? I’d say that’s quite a distance. I live 2 miles away from a large hotel that has been housing asylum seekers for many years and there has been no trouble reported that I am aware of. I’d suggest that most towns/cities have hotels that are used for emergency housing or asylum seekers so no you are perhaps over thinking this.

There have been suggestions that they will be moved to HMOs. You might like to look at the prevalence of such properties near you, as landlords would presumably be offered generous rates for accommodating them.

Did you read the rest of my OP?

I’d disregard any local Facebook page hoohah about antisocial behaviour. In our village it’s white British teenagers that face the same treatment. It all kicks off on facebook if there are more than three lads in the park at any one time. People won’t be happy until they’re under house arrest.

“I’m nervous about buying a house because there will be brown people living three miles away” isn’t a good look. It sounds incredibly racist.

Just for interest but, around 5-6 asylum seekers are housed in an HMO two doors from me. We are a terrace of five. I’ve seen various men coming and going but other than that it’s all completely quiet. Next door is also an HMO and I never hear them either

Sounds like a good place to house some of them would be in prison.

“I’m nervous about buying a house because there will be brown people living three miles away” isn’t a good look. It sounds incredibly racist.

I’m nervous about buying a house which has reports of antisocial behaviour, sexual assault (to a minor) in the village green and the park where my children will play. Its changed the demographic of the area and that isn’t “incredibly racist” its a rational response to the facts - I’m not speculating, the council have released statements in response.

There has been one publicised arrest and some other police activity because of the anti social behaviour on a children’s play park. I think drink and disorderly with some verbal abuse in the presence of children.

Yes I did read the rest of your OP.

I read your first sentence several times and couldn’t make sense of it - it seems to end abruptly maybe words missing?
My comment was partly in response to your dh saying you should ‘crack on’ - my interpretation of that was him being of the opinion that you don’t need to worry. And I was sharing my experience of a hotel near to me.

i don’t think I am unusual in not commenting on every part of an OP?

your only question is in the title. Did you want people to just answer that question and not contribute further? If so then perhaps I was confused by all the following information about your prospective new house and your husband etc.

My point was it’s 3miles from home, but in the centre of where my children will go to school, the shops, play on the park with their friends. So I agree it won’t impact my home but it has the ability to impact our lives.

I would say that if you are that afraid of asylum seekers, best not to buy the house. You will never relax and will end up ranting on your local FB about refugees sitting on walls smoking etc.

I live in a ‘nice’ leafy area and there’s a hotel used for asylum seekers about a ten minute walk away. I often walk past it, and TBH it affects us not at all, and if there have been any complaints, I’m unaware of them.

Can you link to the statement from the council in response to the sexual assault? That’s incredibly unusual, normally councils are really nervous about that kind of information.

I don’t want to identify myself so will PM you.

Yes, and the responses about death threats and drunken behaviour etc.

I’ve sent them to a PP, the death threats were a video I saw on social media. I’m not going to send them to everyone because I don’t want to identify myself.

“The … Council is aware of and is extremely concerned about recent incidents involving the ….. hotel at …..”

• “Locally, any and every incident witnessed should be reported to the police on 999 if it is an emergency or 101 if it is not an emergency.

Regarding the use of the playing field, the Council has contacted Serco directly. Serco have told us that they cannot impose a curfew, and the residents are not prevented from leaving the hotel. Serco have said that they will speak to the hotel residents about using the playing field at night and making a noise. Again, any concerns or incidents must be reported, without exception”

Fair enough, though I doubt anyone could identify you from them.

“Yesterday the Council wrote, once again, to our MP, and also to the chief of police expressing these concerns. Both share the concerns, and the Police attended the hotel yesterday to meet with Serco.”

Asylum seeker crime rates are significantly lower than the population as a whole, though any crimes do tend to get a lot of attention, so it appears as if the crime and/or anti-social behaviour rates are higher.

If it was local teens hanging around the park at night, there would be the same anti-social behaviour but with no chance of the police or council taking it seriously.

Thank you for that info- useful. I suppose the difference is it’s adults aswell. Adults behaving badly where children play isn’t a good look.

I found the newspaper article about the statement,quite easily from the snippet you have posted, OP. I won't quote it extensively here because of your privacy concerns but the article says:

The statement does not specify details of any particular incident"

And its in statement the council is very keen to make clear the decision to house "immigrants"(the council's words, significant that they don't call them refugees or asylum seekers)

"was a Central Government decision and was not supported by xxxxx Council or xxxxxx parish Council, both of whom strongly object.”

I think the local council and MP might have a bit of an agenda, OP, tbh. I wouldn't let this affect your decision. Your DH is right, just crack on.

Thanks @TwistyTales for taking the time to review it constructively and respond.

FWIW DH is the son of an immigrant so we are not anti immigrants, it’s the safety concerns that I am pondering about.

You are going to get antisocial behaviour from British adults too in any given area. Drunken people coming out of pubs, crime and vandalism, sexual assaults, male aggression and harassment. This is the society we live in. I think you're just focussing on one area of concern when actually antisocial behaviour is rife in our society sadly