The Asylum Business

The government has pledged to stop using hotels to house asylum seekers. But in early November nearly three hundred people were moved into a hotel in Altrincham in Greater Manchester. The decision has provoked widespread concerns from the community and there are fears that far right protestors could target the premises. It follows violent demonstrations outside hotels in Rotherham, Hull, Tamworth, Manchester, Aldershot and Bristol in the summer.

Hotel accommodation is often provided in some of the UK’s poorest communities where residents are already facing difficulties in accessing vital services. So what is the government’s plan to stop the use of hotel accommodation? And when will it end? File on 4 hears from some of those who live in the hotels – and from the communities who live nearby – and discovers who’s profiting from the asylum business.

Reporter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Vicky Carter Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Coordinators: Tim Fernley and Ellie Dover Editor: Carl Johnston

This programme contains descriptions of graphic violence. Details of organisations offering information and support are available at: www.bbc.co.uk/actionline