Councillor criticises Government's 'bonkers' plan to house up to 400 asylum seekers at former hotel in Northants village

A councillor has criticised the Government’s ‘bonkers’ plan to temporarily house up to 400 asylum seekers at a former hotel in a sleepy Northants village.

In early December the Home Office told West Northants Council (WNC) of its intention to use the former Highgate House Hotel in the village of Creaton, which has recently been sold to new owners, as a fourth site for asylum contingency accommodation, with the possibility of it becoming operational at the start of January.

A meeting was held at Creaton Village Hall on Tuesday (January 3) which saw residents voice their concerns to a panel comprised of representatives from WNC, Northants Police, and local councillors. One resident said: "We are a caring community, it's just the numbers frightening us."

Residents and WNC say the hotel is an unsuitable place for the asylum seekers - who could either be groups of families or young men - due to mounting pressure on local provisions, lack of public transport and issues related to rural isolation.

Liberal Democrat councillor Jonathan Harris (Brixworth ward) spoke to the Chron after the lively meeting had ended.

He said: "I wrote to Chris Heaton Harris MP pretty immediately expressing my view about how bonkers this idea is. You couldn't choose a worse location for this type of facility."

Asked to expand on why the location is an issue, councillor Harris said; "Because of rural isolation, the village has got one community shop, that's it. From April 1 there's a real risk there is no bus service here. I think they are the main factors. Beautiful place, lovely location, but there's not a lot to do."

The councillor went on to sympathise with the asylum seekers and the difficulties they face.

He said: "We've heard much debate [at Creaton Village Hall] about, 'well, they shouldn't get on boats in the first place'. I think that is a bit oversimplifying the situation. It's very hard for us to put ourselves in the shoes of some of those.

"My view is slightly...towards thinking about those individuals and the plight, the difficulty of the situation they face themselves in.

"If this does happen we've got to step up as a community, not just Creaton. It's a challenge for all the surrounding villages."

The councillor highlighted the village of Crick as a potential helpful source after more than 100 asylum seekers moved into a nearby hotel last year.

Councillor Harris said: "We can learn a lot from Crick and we should talk to Crick... to see what we can do to try and make the integration work as best we can."

In October, the Chron reported that Crick locals had reported a number of incidents to police, as well as on social media, about issues with asylum seekers.

The fear of an increase in crime was raised at the meeting in Creaton but was quickly quashed by a Northants Police spokesman, who said ‘the perception of crime was a lot higher than what was actually happening’ in Crick.

Another meeting is planned for 7.30pm on Tuesday, January 10 at Creaton Village Hall. An online public consultation has also been opened for residents to voice their concerns.