Hotels in Reading and Witney stop housing asylum seekers

Two hotels have closed as asylum accommodation, the Home Office has confirmed.

The Mercure George Hotel in Reading and the Oxford Witney Hotel were among 20 the government said had stopped being used as it moves to reduce reliance on hotel accommodation.

The George, which dates back to the 16th Century, had housed asylum seekers for several years. The Oxford Witney Hotel, which was used by the Home Office from 2022, is in Ducklington Lane, Witney.

The number of asylum seekers housed in hotels nationally has fallen to its lowest level since 2022, according to Home Office figures, down from a peak of 56,000 in September 2023.

Border security and asylum minister Alex Norris said the government was "moving asylum seekers into ex-military sites" instead, adding: "This is a system being brought back under control."

The government is also seeking planning permission to use a former Ministry of Defence site at Bicester in Oxfordshire to house asylum seekers as part of the same wider plan.