International Leicester to give space to asylum cases

The International hotel in Leicester is to be home to as many as 430 asylum seekers.

A London-based company called Accomodata has bought the city centre building, previously called the Signet hotel. It is understood that Accomodata will run the premises for the Home Office on a contract basis.

A spokesman for Leicester City Council said that there were rumours that staff at the hotel had been required to sign the Official Secrets Act.

The asylum seekers are expected to begin arriving at the hotel in the autumn, having been dispersed from hotels and hostels in the South-east of England.

Last week two hoteliers in Margate, Kent, accused Thanet District Council of racism when it tried to force them to register their property as a hostel after they took in asylum seekers (Caterer, 22 June, page 4).