Cottingham house students to be repurposed to house asylum seekers

Tempers flared during a meeting in Cottingham where residents debated over whether flats which previously used to house students should be repurposed to house asylum seekers.

At a gathering of 100 people, debate raged over the repurposing of accommodation previously used to house students attending the University of Hull.

On the matter, Cottingham Councillor Helen Green said the plans were not a done deal, but she felt East Riding Council had been ignored by the Home Office when plans were being put together.

Other buildings, such as Thwaite Hall, had also been considered as potential locations.

It was reported by Hull Live that Robert Jenrick had lobbied university bosses to sell the site as part of the Government's search for alternative accommodation sites for asylum seekers.

In the Commons, Mr Jenrick said: "It's unfair and appalling that we are spending £5.5million every day on using hotels to house asylum seekers. We must end this."

Jenrick added: "We will bring forward a range of alternative sites such as disused holiday parks, former student halls, and surplus military sites. We have already identified locations that could accommodate 10,000 people and are in active discussions to secure these and many more.

"Our aim is to add thousands of places through this type of accommodation in the coming months at half the cost of hotels. At the same time, as we consulted on over the summer, the cheapest and fairest way to solve this problem is for all local authorities to take their fair share of asylum seekers in the private rental sector.

"We will work to achieve this as quickly as possible."