THE Home Office has confirmed asylum seekers will no longer be placed in plush Barnsley hotels.

A letter to the Labour shadow home office minister David Hanson said a commitment had been made between the Home Office and G4S to only use approved accommodation in Wakefield.

Asylum seekers were put up at two of Barnsley's best hotels after a shortage of space at a specialist hostel in Wakefield. Asylum seekers usually stay at Angel Lodge in Wakefield which has 250 beds.

But the Chronicle revealed in May how security company G4S booked a total of 405 rooms on half board (bed, breakfast and evening meal) - 356 at the Ramada Encore at Dodworth and 49 at the nearby, four star Holiday Inn - between mid March and late April.

Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis said: “The arrangement whereby asylum seekers could be accommodated in Barnsley hotels was not fit for purpose. Not only was it an ineffective use of taxpayers’ money, but it was also unhelpful to the asylum seekers themselves, dispersing them away from essential support services. “

** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated August 15. **