AFTER more than four years, a hotel in Evesham has stopped housing asylum seekers.
Evesham Vale Welcomes Refugees (EVWR) has revealed that the Evesham Hotel on Coopers Lane is no longer being used to house asylum seekers.
With more than 500 asylum seekers passing through the hotel’s doors, the closure of the Evesham Hotel as asylum seeker accommodation ‘has been emotionally quite difficult’ for the group.
In a statement online, the group said it ‘has been especially pleasing to see so many people wanting to settle in Evesham permanently once their asylum had been agreed’, but it had been difficult to ‘see the people left in the hotel being relocated on the usual no-choice basis’. This included a mum with her two ‘very young children’ being taken to Aberdeen.
The Home Office has neither confirmed nor denied the end of asylum seeker accommodation at the hotel despite being asked directly.
A spokesperson for the Home Office added: “This government is restoring control to our borders by removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to the UK and increasing removals of those with no right to be here.
“We will close all asylum hotels by the end of this parliament and are moving asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation.”
Concerns were initially raised about using the hotel as asylum seeker accommodation, resulting in a protest and counter-protest of around 20 people on August 25, 2025.
An EVWR spokesperson added: “We have been delighted by the way the local community have responded to the presence of refugees in our area, despite some raising initial concerns and doubts. Many of the people who came through the hotel became regular volunteers across the community, supporting other local voluntary groups, as well as our own services. Refugee children were welcomed in local schools, and local faith groups also opened their doors to new arrivals. They are a truly wonderful bunch of human beings.
“We will miss the ‘buzz’ of working with an ever-changing population, despite the many problems and challenges this brought us, but know we will now have more time to work with those who remain in the community, to help them integrate successfully long term and to work towards their eventual citizenship.
“We would like to thank all the staff in the Evesham Hotel who met their new challenges with open hearts and a real ‘can do’ attitude and wish them all well in their roles as the hotel moves forward.”
