A DORSET MP recently met with Home Office minister for border security and asylum, Alex Norris, to press the case for Bournemouth to be prioritised in the ending the use of asylum hotels by 2029.

Jessica Toale, MP for Bournemouth West, met with Home Office minister to “ensure Bournemouth remains a priority for future closures and pressed the case for the Roundhouse and Britannia hotels to be included in the next phase, long before the 2029 deadline”.

According to Ms Toale, in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 615 asylum seekers were housed in hotels as of June 2025.

By March 2026, this figure had dropped to 339, an almost 45 per cent decrease.

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Jessica Toale, MP for West Bournemouth and Alex Norris, Home Office minister for border security and asylum (Image: Jessica Toale)

Ms Toale said: “I have been clear since my election that I want to see the use of asylum hotels in Bournemouth come to an end.

“That is why I have continually met with the Home Office since my election, including directly with the minister this week to press Bournemouth’s case and ensure our town is prioritised for future closures.

“In my meeting with the minister, I made clear that the asylum hotels in Bournemouth have got to go.

“They are not good for our community, for the taxpayer nor for the people in them.

“I will continue working with the Home Office and pressing ministers until the Roundhouse and Britannia hotels are closed.”

Since her election, Ms Toale has campaigned for the closure of the Roundhouse and Britannia hotels, which are located in her Bournemouth West constituency.

She has been working with the local college, residents and the police to make the case for the case for the closure of the hotels.

The minister confirmed Bournemouth remains a priority area for the Home Office as work continues to reduce and ultimately end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation.

Mrs Toale criticised the previous government for allowing the existing situation to develop.

She said: “The Conservatives left our asylum system in complete chaos.

“They opened hundreds of asylum hotels across the country, allowed the backlog to spiral out of control and left communities like Bournemouth dealing with the consequences.

“Despite having 14 years in government, they failed to get a grip of the situation.

“Labour is now doing the hard work of fixing the mess we inherited.

“We are speeding up asylum decisions, increasing returns of those with no right to be here and reducing the number of people housed in hotels.

“In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, the number of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by almost 45 per cent in less than a year.”