TLK Apartments in St Mary Cray, Bromley, has reopened its doors to the public three years after being repurposed to house asylum seekers, the Home Office has confirmed. The hotel, which was the only asylum hotel in the borough, is now available for public bookings. This move aligns with the government's objective to reduce incentives that encourage illegal migration to Britain.
Home Office Closures Across England
The announcement follows the Home Office's confirmation on Thursday of the closure of 20 asylum hotels across England. Among these, two were located in Greater London: TLK Apartments and the Best Western Wembley, both of which have now been vacated. The Bell Hotel in Epping was also listed among the establishments returned to public use. The Home Office said that all 20 hotels had accommodated asylum seekers, with the majority having entered the UK without authorisation.
Taxpayer Savings and Reduced Numbers
This latest round of closures comes after 11 other asylum hotels reopened in April, a measure the Home Office claims has saved taxpayers £170 million this financial year. The department claims that the total number of asylum hotels in use has more than halved to just under 170, while the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels has been cut by over half, from a peak of 56,000 to 21,000.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said: “We promised to close every asylum hotel and hand them back to communities. That is exactly what we are doing here in Greater London. Twenty more hotels are now closed across England, hotel numbers have more than halved since their peak, and we are moving people into large, basic sites that are a far cry from the hotels the last Government left us with. This is a system being brought back under control – and we will not stop until the job is done.”
Local Reactions and Previous Controversies
Last August, Bromley Council released a statement regarding TLK Apartments, saying that it wasn’t being used to house “single young men” as was being believed locally and had been reported on social media. The South East London authority also said police were not investigating any incidents relating to the asylum seeker hotel. A Bromley Council spokesperson said at the time: “Our first hand advice remains that the hostel is currently occupied by children, women and families only in temporary accommodation, awaiting a decision from the Government concerning their future immigration status at which point they will leave. Also, that there are no current police investigations in relation to residents of the TLK apartments taking place, contrary to other reports circulating.” Racist graffiti also appeared in St Mary Cray near to TLK which was believed to be linked to the presence of asylum seekers in the Orpington suburb.
Council Welcomes Reversion to Normal Use
Following the reopening announcement, a Bromley Council spokesperson said: “Bromley Council welcomes the Government’s cessation of the use of TLK Apartments in St Mary Cray to house asylum seekers. This was the only ‘asylum hotel’ in the borough and went ahead despite the council’s objections. We are pleased that TLK Apartments will now revert to normal use and would like to reassure residents that none of the asylum seekers who were resident there are being rehoused via the council’s housing register.”
