Sean Woodock MP has praised the government’s decision to permanently move asylum seekers out of a hotel in Banbury.

Banbury House Hotel on the Oxford Road is one of 11 hotels across the UK that have recently stopped housing asylum seekers.

The hotel will now be returned to the community, and asylum seekers staying there will be moved to alternative accommodation.

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock said: “I am pleased that the Banbury House Hotel has stopped hosting asylum seekers, as the government's commitments to reduce the costs of accommodation for asylum seekers is being seen in our local area.

All Asylum seekers have now been moved out of the Banbury House Hotel, and it has been returned to normal use.

placeholder image — All Asylum seekers have now been moved out of the Banbury House Hotel, and it has been returned to normal use.

“I am proud that the UK has been a place of safety for people fleeing war and persecution. However, the placing of claimants in hotels has a number of issues. They're not suitable for claimants as long-term accommodation, and it causes a significant strain on the public finances.

“Reducing the burden on taxpayers in our community by relocating individuals and families to cheaper alternative accommodation marks a positive step forward in ending the excessive asylum spending and major strain in the system left behind by the previous government.”

The government claims the closure of the 11 hotels will save the “taxpayer nearly £65 million a year”.

The closures come as part of the government’s plans to fix what it is calling the “broken asylum system”.

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock has praised the government's decision to move asylum seekers out of the Banbury House Hotel.

This included moving asylum seekers from hotels to basic accommodation sites, such as the Crowborough military barracks in East Sussex, which currently houses around 350 people.

The government also says it is removing accommodation from people who can afford to support themselves and from those who break the rules.

Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris said: “Hotels were meant to be a short‑term stop‑gap under the previous government, but they spiralled out of control – costing taxpayers billions and dumping the consequences on local communities.

“We are shutting them down by moving people into more basic accommodation, scaling up large sites, and removing record numbers of people with no right to remain.

“This is about restoring control, ending waste, and handing hotels back to the community for good.”