Women and families in a Brighton asylum hotel will be moved within weeks. Council leader Bella Sankey has asked the Home Office to review how moves are handled.

A Brighton hotel housing asylum-seeking women and families will stop being used within weeks, and the people living there will be moved elsewhere. The council’s leader, Councillor Bella Sankey, has written to the Home Office asking it to review how those moves are handled (Brighton & Hove City Council, 17 September 2026).

The letter went to Anna Turley, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum. The council has published it in full, and it does not name the hotel.

The government has committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum accommodation nationally. The council supports that policy. Councillor Sankey’s concern is what happens to the residents when this one closes.

She wrote: “I fully welcome the Government’s commitment to ending the use of hotels to house people seeking asylum; the use of hotels for extended periods of time is inhumane and not conducive to community cohesion.”

“However, I am increasingly concerned about the impact that current arrangements are having on women and families living in Brighton & Hove, many of whom have spent considerable time in our city and have developed strong connections to local schools, health services, support organisations and community networks.”

What the council says is going wrong

The letter draws on the city’s regular Contingency Assurance Meetings. These bring together the Home Office, the accommodation provider, council services, health partners, education services, Sussex Police and voluntary organisations. Through them, the council says, the same concerns keep coming up:

  • residents given very little notice of a move
  • residents not told in advance where they are being sent
  • disruption to children’s education and established support arrangements
  • the impact on people with physical and mental health needs who rely on local services
  • distress and anxiety caused by uncertainty over accommodation
  • separation from community, faith and support networks

Councillor Sankey said the concerns are also coming from the public: “There is a significant level of public concern about the impact of relocations on people who have become valued members of our communities and it is only right that as a council we press the Home Office for more information and stress the need for proper support to be arranged before any dispersals take place.”

What the council is asking for

The letter asks the Home Office to consider:

  • exploring whether the Ukraine community sponsorship model could be adapted locally, with Brighton & Hove offering to pilot it
  • finding dispersal accommodation within Brighton & Hove and Sussex where feasible, so people keep their schools, healthcare and support
  • reviewing whether there is underused dispersal capacity in the city or wider Sussex that could be brought back into use
  • giving residents more notice before a move, and telling them their destination as early as possible
  • better communication with local partners, and arrangements to connect residents with support services in the receiving area before they are relocated

It also suggests accommodation providers could repurpose suitable properties, including houses in multiple occupation, for women and families where a need is identified.

What it means for you

The hotel’s closure is a national policy decision, not a council one, and the council cannot stop the moves. What it is seeking is local influence over how they happen: more notice, more information and placements closer to the schools and services families already use. The letter’s request to find dispersal housing within the city also runs into Brighton’s wider shortage: the city already has a record 2,027 households in temporary accommodation, the highest rate of any council outside London.

If you volunteer with, or donate to, one of the city’s refugee support organisations, the letter is a clear signal that the families they work with may be dispersed at short notice in the coming weeks. Councillor Sankey wrote: “Brighton & Hove has a long history of supporting people seeking sanctuary, and I am proud of the compassion shown by local residents, community organisations, faith groups and volunteers.”

The council says it remains “committed to working constructively with the Home Office” and has asked for further discussions. No reply from the minister has been published yet. We will report the Home Office’s response if one is made public.

Sources