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MEMBER of Parliament for Southport, Damien Moore, has today received confirmation that proposals to house 171 asylum seekers in the Royal Clifton Hotel, a Britannia property, have now been scrapped.

This news comes after Mr. Moore made strong representations in Southport and in Westminster to ensure that these ill-thought-out proposals would not go ahead. Mr. Moore had previously spoken with the Council, and had identified a range of serious risks with the proposal.

From the impact on local services, in particular children’s services, to the impact on the local economy, Mr. Moore argued that the housing of asylum seekers in Southport would be of detrimental impact to our community.

In particular, Mr. Moore raised the profile of the effects this would have on Children’s Services in the area, to argue that any implementation of these proposals would have seen a further deterioration in Sefton Council’s provision. Furthermore, the housing of asylum seekers in Britannia sites would reduce the availability of holiday accommodation for tourists, and needlessly harm Southport’s vibrant local economy.

Mr. Moore’s successful intervention today comes following his previous successful efforts in February this year to persuade Sefton Council not to house over 3,000 asylum seekers in Pontins, on land owned by the Council and leased to Britannia. The local MP has repeatedly called on the Council to evict Britannia from sites owned by Sefton, when the business appears content to use land leased for holiday purposes, which is extremely important for Southport’s local economy, for housing asylum seekers instead.

Mr. Moore has also previously appeared on BBC News on 3 February 2023 to argue against inappropriate proposals. The story led the front page of the BBC, as Mr. Moore made clear on the national stage the huge negative impact such proposals would have on Southport. As the town’s local MP, he will continue to fight any such proposals.

Damien Moore, Member of Parliament for Southport, said:- “After successfully stopping the ill-thought-out proposal to house asylum seekers in land owned by Sefton Council in Pontins in February this year, I am pleased to have once again stopped the housing of asylum seekers in Southport, this time in the Royal Clifton Hotel. It is absolutely wrong to consider bringing asylum-seeking children and families into Southport, when local children are already not getting the support they need and deserve. I will continue doing all I can to defend our town’s children, our local economy, and our community.”

“I urge Sefton Council to get assurances from Britannia that these sites will not be used to provide asylum accommodation. If this is not forthcoming, then all legal options, such as compulsory purchase powers or forfeiting the lease should be utilised. I will also support any changes to existing legislation to enable the Council to do this, and will work with them to secure a more long-term fix for preventing inappropriate housing of asylum seekers in our town.”