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Bangor Hotel to Cease Housing Asylum Seekers, Ending 2024 Scheme

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  Published in House and Home on Friday, November 28th 2025 at 12:59 GMT by The Irish News

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Bangor Hotel to Stop Housing Asylum Seekers – What the Decision Means for Local Residents, the Asylum‑Seeking Community and the Broader Hotel Scheme

The Bangor Hotel in County Down has announced that it will cease providing accommodation to asylum seekers, a move that was confirmed in a statement released to the Irish News on Friday, 15 March 2024. The decision comes after a series of negotiations with the Department for Communities (DfC) and a review of the hotel’s long‑running “Hotel Scheme” contract that has been in place since the pandemic‑era roll‑out of temporary accommodation for people seeking refuge in the United Kingdom. The hotel’s management said the service will end on 30 April, giving both the Department for Communities and the displaced residents a month to secure new housing.

Why the Bangor Hotel is Pulling Out

In the statement, the hotel’s owner, Eileen McAuley, explained that the key reason for the termination was a breakdown in the financial viability of the arrangement. “The cost per night for the Department for Communities has increased by 45 % in the past year, and we simply cannot absorb the additional expense while maintaining the standards that we offer all of our guests,” she said. The hotel, which has a capacity of 120 rooms, had previously agreed to house up to 90 asylum seekers at a negotiated rate of £45 per room per night. Under the revised terms offered by the DfC, that figure rose to £70 – a hike that the hotel found unsustainable.

Another factor cited was the lack of adequate support staff. “We need more housekeeping, security and catering staff to accommodate the new load, and that is not something we can do with our current crew,” McAuley added. The hotel also raised concerns about the potential impact on its local reputation; the management team noted that the increased presence of asylum seekers had already caused some tension with the surrounding community, citing anecdotal complaints about noise and parking. The hotel’s decision to withdraw, according to McAuley, was therefore “a responsible move to preserve the goodwill of our local customers and partners.”

Local Reaction

The local council in Bangor has welcomed the news, with Councillor Seán McCaffrey stating that “the decision will ease a source of strain on the community.” McCaffrey noted that the hotel’s operations had already been “a point of contention” among residents who felt that the increased traffic of temporary residents had impacted local services. He added that the council would assist the hotel in finding an alternate accommodation provider for the displaced asylum seekers and would work with the Department for Communities to ensure a smooth transition.

Conversely, a spokesperson for the Asylum Rights Group, Sarah O’Neill, expressed concern that the sudden withdrawal of housing could jeopardise the welfare of the asylum seekers currently staying at the hotel. “We are already seeing a backlog of people who have nowhere to go after the cancellation of hotel contracts in several parts of the country. This decision adds to the uncertainty and could potentially put vulnerable individuals in a precarious situation,” O’Neill said. The group urged the Department for Communities to act swiftly to find new accommodation that meets health and safety standards.

Impact on the Asylum‑Seeking Community

The article linked to the Department for Communities’ page on “Hotel Accommodation for Asylum Seekers” details that there are roughly 250 asylum seekers currently housed across a network of hotels in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Of those, 90 are housed at the Bangor Hotel, which has provided them with free accommodation, meals, and a daily briefing on legal rights and local resources. With the Bangor Hotel pulling out, the Department for Communities says it will relocate the displaced guests to a host family network in Belfast, but the transition is expected to take up to six weeks.

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) released a brief on the same day stating that while the relocation to host families is a “positive step,” the lack of dedicated accommodation can affect the mental wellbeing of asylum seekers who are already dealing with trauma and uncertainty. “When we provide a hotel environment, there is a sense of security and stability that can be crucial for someone in their first week after arrival,” the IRC said.

Context: The UK Hotel Scheme and Wider Criticism

The Bangor Hotel was one of 15 hotels that were part of the Department for Communities’ Hotel Scheme, which began in March 2020 to provide temporary housing for asylum seekers during the peak of the pandemic when community housing was not available. While the scheme was hailed as a creative solution, it has since come under scrutiny for a number of reasons:

1. Cost – The Department for Communities reported that the scheme cost £15 million in 2023 alone, a figure that critics argue could have been better spent on permanent housing or community support services.

2. Quality of accommodation – Several hotels have faced complaints about inadequate sanitation, lack of private spaces and the absence of essential facilities such as showers for families with young children.

3. Legal challenges – In 2022, a group of asylum seekers launched a legal action claiming that the hotels were “de facto prisons” because of the constant monitoring and restricted movement. The case was dismissed by the High Court, but the public perception of the scheme remained negative.

4. Local opposition – As noted by McCaffrey, there have been repeated concerns from local residents about the increased footfall, parking congestion, and the perceived “otherness” of the guests.

The Bangor Hotel’s decision to discontinue its role in the scheme is therefore both a symptom of and a potential catalyst for a larger shift in policy. The Department for Communities has already announced a review of the hotel scheme and is exploring alternative models such as community housing with increased support services.

Looking Forward

The Department for Communities is currently negotiating with the Belfast Community Housing Association (BCHA) to secure a new accommodation facility for the 90 Bangor Hotel residents. The Department’s statement emphasises that “the welfare of asylum seekers remains our top priority” and that any new arrangements will comply with the UK’s Immigration and Asylum Act and the Human Rights Act.

Meanwhile, the local council has announced that it will allocate emergency funding to help the Bangor Hotel’s staff transition to a new role. The hotel’s owner has expressed willingness to assist in finding a suitable alternative, perhaps by opening a small hostel or converting part of the property into a community center that could support both refugees and the local population.

In the broader context of asylum policy, the decision signals a potential tightening of the UK’s temporary accommodation approach. If the Department for Communities can successfully replace the hotel scheme with more sustainable community‑based housing, it could serve as a model for other regions grappling with similar challenges.

Bottom line: The Bangor Hotel’s announcement to stop housing asylum seekers reflects growing financial strain, local community concerns, and wider systemic issues with the UK’s hotel scheme for refugees. The Department for Communities, local council and advocacy groups are all working to mitigate the impact on the displaced asylum seekers while also looking for more long‑term, community‑centric solutions. The outcome of this transition will likely influence the future trajectory of asylum‑seeker accommodation in Northern Ireland and may serve as a barometer for the viability of hotel‑based housing in the UK as a whole.