Change of use of Three Counties Hotel to housing for asylum seekers
Case reference FOI2023/00464
Published 5 April 2023
Request
Can you please supply the following information. If you are unable to supply this information, or do not collate this information can you please advise me which organisation I should contact to acquire this information.
1. There has been a planning application live for change of use of the Three Counties Hotel to a Lidl supermarket. This application has been live for many months and every time I check for an update the determination dates have been extended. Can you please advise why this has happened and if this has happened because Hereford Council had been approached by the Government to discuss housing asylum seekers. Can you please supply the date the Council was contacted in relation to the housing of asylum seekers.
2. What is the extent of the Councils involvement in this project.
3. Please supply the name, title and contact details of the Council officer dealing with this project.
4. Please advise the cost of this project for food, accommodation, clothing and all sundry items and whether this cost will be added to the council tax bill of Herefordshire residents.
5. The anticipated length of this project and the anticipated rotation of migrants.
6. The name and address and contact details of the owner of The Three Counties Hotel.
7. The ethnicity of the asylum seekers - what Country do they originate from.
8. Age and sex of the asylum seekers.
9. The number of children under the age of 16 years.
10. The school or college these children will attend if applicable.
11. The number of Herefordshire residents currently on waiting lists for new homes.
12. The current number of homeless people in Herefordshire.
13. The weekly allowance (£) that will be given to individual asylum seekers.
14. Will language assistants or interpreters be made available to the asylum seekers and the anticipated cost.
15. The number of security personnel that will be at the facility on a daily basis.
16. Will the asylum seekers be given a mobile phone and if so who will be paying for this.
17. What has happened to the current staff working at the hotel.
18. The impact on council tax bills for 2023/24.
19. What security checks will the asylum seekers be subject to.
20. The amount that has been paid to the owner of the Three Counties Hotel to house asylum seekers.
21. Anticipated noise levels once the asylum seekers are in residence.
22. Damages to the hotel - who will be responsible for repairs.
23. Access to Dental/health/social services/childrens services/mental health services - please explain the process and if the asylum seekers will have priority over Herefordshire residents.
Response
Can you please supply the following information. If you are unable to supply this information, or do not collate this information can you please advise me which organisation I should contact to acquire this information.
1. There has been a planning application live for change of use of the Three Counties Hotel to a Lidl supermarket. This application has been live for many months and every time I check for an update the determination dates have been extended. Can you please advise why this has happened and if this has happened because Hereford Council had been approached by the Government to discuss housing asylum seekers. Can you please supply the date the Council was contacted in relation to the housing of asylum seekers.
This 'major' planning application was submitted and validated at the end of April/beginning of May 2022. Major planning applications have a 13 week statutory period for the Local Planning Authority to make a decision, however the Local Planning Authority have agreed an extended period with the planning agent. Considerably more time is required to be spent on more complex projects/applications. The planning process can be complicated with many stages. This planning application has been out for public consultation and has generated a large number of representations from local residents and the Local Planning Authority is reliant on advice from a whole range of people, both internal and external consultees and organisations in order to help decide whether or not this proposal is acceptable. There is not a deliberate act not to determine this application.
The applicant/agent submitted a Retail Impact Assessment response as Herefordshire Council published a new Retail Study for Herefordshire. As such it is essential that the Council's retail expert has an opportunity to review their comments as well as update the Hereford Local Planning Authority position/response in line with this newly published retail report for the County. Further work is being carried out on this and continues. There are a wide range of planning policies and other material considerations that must be taken into account as part of the process. This matter is ongoing and officers continue to consider the application.
You can view this application at:
I can confirm that the processing of this application has not been delayed due to the approach by Government in respect of the housing of asylum seekers.
The Council received an email on 14th February 2023 from the Home Office that it had identified the Three Counties Hotel, Belmont Rd, Hereford, HR2 7BP as a site to be used to accommodate asylum seekers.
2. What is the extent of the Councils involvement in this project.
This provision is being managed by a Home Office contractor called Serco. The council has no role in operating or supporting the hotel. The only situation where the council will become involved is where any individual arriving at the hotel is later assessed to be a child under 18.They would then be relocated from the hotel and the council would have responsibility for providing accommodation for them and social care support. More widely, the council will work with local partners so far as possible to manage the impact of this project on the local community and to provide support as appropriate.
3. Please supply the name, title and contact details of the Council officer dealing with this project.
Hilary Hall, Director of Community Wellbeing - hilary.hall@herefordshire.gov.uk
If you are a company intending to use the names and contact details of council officers provided in this response for direct marketing, you must be registered with the Information Commissioner to process personal data for this purpose. You must also check that the individual (whom you wish to contact for direct marketing purposes) is not registered with one of the preference services to prevent direct marketing. If they are you must adhere to this preference. You must also ensure you comply with the Privacy Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). For more information see www.ico.org.uk
For the avoidance of doubt, the provision of individual names and contact details under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not give consent to receive direct marketing via any media and expressly does not constitute a 'soft opt-in' under PECR.
4. Please advise the cost of this project for food, accommodation, clothing and all sundry items and whether this cost will be added to the council tax bill of Herefordshire residents.
The costs to the Home Office and contracted provider are not known to the local authority. These costs will not be added to council tax bill for Herefordshire residents.
5. The anticipated length of this project and the anticipated rotation of migrants.
We understand that the initial lease that has been entered into with the Hotel is for one year. However the local authority has not been told of the length of this project. The placement of asylum seekers at the hotel will be managed by Serco on behalf of the Home Office. Lengths of stay are likely to vary, dependent partly on the time taken to decide on asylum applications. However, people may be moved from the hotel to dispersed accommodation elsewhere before their application is finalised.
6. The name and address and contact details of the owner of The Three Counties Hotel.
This information is publically available on the Government's Companies House website and can be viewed via the following link:
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09794855
As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.
7. The ethnicity of the asylum seekers - what Country do they originate from.
We anticipate that the asylum seekers coming to the hotel will be from several countries.
8. Age and sex of the asylum seekers.
It is anticipated that all arrivals to the hotel will be adult males. This is based on need and pressures in the asylum system.
9. The number of children under the age of 16 years.
The likelihood is that all those seeking asylum staying at the hotel will be adult males. There is a separate asylum programme for young people under 18 travelling alone.
10. The school or college these children will attend if applicable.
The likelihood is that all those seeking asylum staying at the hotel will be adult males.
11. The number of Herefordshire residents currently on waiting lists for new homes.
There are 1665 active applicants on our housing register.
12. The current number of homeless people in Herefordshire.
The most recent submission to Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) reported 19 people sleeping rough in the county.
13. The weekly allowance (£) that will be given to individual asylum seekers.
This information is publically available on the Government website and can be viewed via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get
As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.
14. Will language assistants or interpreters be made available to the asylum seekers and the anticipated cost.
This is a Home Office project. We understand that Serco have their own translation and interpretation service. We do not know the cost of this and it will not be met by the council.
15. The number of security personnel that will be at the facility on a daily basis.
This is a Home Office project and this question should be directed to them. Serco have their own security arrangements.
The Home Office can be contacted via foirequests@homeoffice.gov.uk
16. Will the asylum seekers be given a mobile phone and if so who will be paying for this.
This is a Home Office project and this question should be directed to them as it is a matter for them and Serco, although the council understands that they will not be given mobile phones. The Home Office can be contacted via the email address given in response to Question 15.
17. What has happened to the current staff working at the hotel.
This question is best directed to the proprietors of the hotel - details above (Q6)
18. The impact on council tax bills for 2023/24.
There will generally be no costs to the council from the operation of the hotel or support of asylum seekers. It should be noted that if there are any unaccompanied children identified in the asylum seekers arriving at the hotel that the council will have responsibility for providing accommodation for them and social care support. This would be under a separate programme for which the Government will provide funding to councils.
19. What security checks will the asylum seekers be subject to.
This is not known by the local authority. The Government and its agencies determine the rules by which people enter the UK and the checks which are carried out. This would be a question for the Home Office. The Home Office can be contacted via: foirequests@homeoffice.gov.uk
20. The amount that has been paid to the owner of the Three Counties Hotel to house asylum seekers.
This is not known by the local authority. You could ask the proprietor, but they are not obliged to divulge this information.
21. Anticipated noise levels once the asylum seekers are in residence.
This is not known by the local authority. This is a Home Office project and they have engaged a private sector provider to deliver the service. Any concerns about noise and anti-social behaviour from the hotel should be emailed to
refugeesupport@herefordshire.gov.uk where it will be raised with the hotel and relevant partners.
22. Damages to the hotel - who will be responsible for repairs.
This is not known by Local Authority. This is a Home Office project and they have engaged a private sector provider which will work with the proprietors of the hotel.
23. Access to Dental/health/social services/childrens services/mental health services - please explain the process and if the asylum seekers will have priority over Herefordshire residents.
Asylum seekers will be able to access local health services in the same way as any person visiting Herefordshire on a temporary basis would do, so they will not be given priority over local residents.
Documents
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