Frustrated Skegness residents have urged their local council to take legal action to protect the town’s tourism after hotels were given over to house asylum seekers. Around 200 migrants have already been placed in five hotels in Skegness, which has proved extremely controversial.
A heated public meeting on Friday, November 25, heard residents’ concerns about how the seaside resort could be permanently damaged, reported Lincolnshire Live. Now another coastal council has won a temporary injunction to protect their tourism industry, and East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) says it is watching the case closely.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council was awarded a temporary ban on more hotels being used as hostels last week, meaning the Home Office couldn’t house unprocessed asylum seekers there. It doesn’t affect those already at the resort, and a final decision will be made by the High Court next month.
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A spokesperson for East Lindsey District Council said: “We have been very aware of the various court injunctions that have been in process and we are monitoring their progress. In the meantime, we are taking advice about any future possible action we might take.”
During the public meeting, Skegness residents urged the council to take legal action. However, Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness, said it was pointless until there was a “test case” in which a local authority prevailed. He said: “The risk is we spend hundreds of thousands more of taxpayers money, and still lose.”
Hoteliers claimed holidaymakers were already cancelling bookings for next year due to the controversy. One owner said he had turned down £500,000 of government money to use his hotel as a hostel.
Council leader Councillor Craig Leyland said he wanted the use of hotels to be as brief as possible. He said: “We don’t want our aspirations for Skegness undermined by the long term use of the hotels. We need assurance that they will quickly return Skegness to its former glory.”
On Tuesday, December 20, Great Yarmouth will hear whether its application has been successful, potentially opening the door for other councils to follow.
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