BREAKING: Home Office halts plans to house asylum seekers at Palms Hotel.

The Home Office has halted plans again to place asylum seekers at Palms Hotel on the A127 in Hornchurch due to the unsuitability of the venue.

Havering’s Leader of the Council, Councillor Damian White was informed of the decision yesterday to house asylum seekers in the borough and spent the day talking to Home Office Ministers and local representatives such as our East Area Police Commander about the decision.

It was deemed by Council Officials that Palms Hotel was not not suitable for a variety of different reasons including health and safety concerns and these were conveyed to Home Office Ministers who set up an immediate review and have now halted the decision.

Andrew Rosindell, the Romford MP added his support to the Council, raising concerns that our local council is ‘already stretched to the limit’ and that this would not be an appropriate venue for vulnerable people.

Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez also spent the day talking to Home Office Ministers and told the Havering Daily: “I am grateful to the Minister and officials at the Home Office for halting the plan to use Palms after investigating the very real building safety concerns raised. They are working incredibly hard to provide emergency shelter to vulnerable people. We all appreciate the really tough job they are doing and the imperative to help those in need. However, it is vital that all emergency accommodation is fit for purpose and we know that Palms has not passed safety checks, making it inappropriate for young families. I appreciate their fast response to the issues I flagged with them.”