“The Home Office first approached me on 15 December to say that they had ‘identified’ the OPL as a site to accommodate asylum seekers. I wrote back that day to object saying the town needed to keep the OPL because of the very important role it played in the life and economy of Dunstable. I copied in the Leader and Chief Executive of Central Bedfordshire Council that day. I also immediately contacted the owners who told me very clearly that they had not made any decision and would not do so to the New Year. I asked the owners if I could help in anyway to keep the hotel open to the public. They told me that low room occupancy, their pandemic period debts, and high energy costs, in spite of significant government rebates were all combining to threaten the survival of the hotel.
I have supported the hotel over many years in a professional and personal capacity, with family and friends staying there for my daughter’s two year delayed wedding reception for example. I therefore get the anger of those whose precious family events have been cancelled. I look forward to the OPL reopening after what the hotel refer to as a “hopefully… short lived “period“ to ensure the survival of this much loved business.
The government is urgently seeking unused student and holiday camp accommodation, as it does not want to use hotels for asylum seekers. The government will also legislate shortly to change the law so that it will not be possible to remain in the UK if you enter illegally to deal with this national emergency which is affecting countries around the world with France for example having 100,000 asylum applications last year.
If my constituents want a public meeting about this I am happy to arrange this.”