NEWS STORY : Home Office Terminates its Contract with Stay Belvedere Hotels

STORY

​The Home Office has terminated its contract with Stay Belvedere Hotels Ltd (SBHL), a company responsible for managing 51 hotels housing asylum seekers across England and Wales. This decision was prompted by concerns over SBHL’s performance and treatment of the asylum seekers. ​SBHL, a subcontractor for Clearsprings Ready Homes, had been overseeing accommodations including Napier Barracks in what was a politically charged decision. The management of these facilities will now be transferred to other providers such as Corporate Travel Management (CTM), Mears and Serco. CTM previously managed the Bibby Stockholm barge, which faced issues like higher costs compared to hotel accommodations and a legionnaires’ disease outbreak. ​

This marks the first major termination of a provider in the Home Office’s decade-long outsourcing of asylum accommodation contracts, valued at £2 billion annually. SBHL had faced allegations including sexual harassment, intimidation and underpayment of staff. The Home Office aims to enhance the management and oversight of asylum accommodations to ensure better value for taxpayers. ​The termination reflects broader efforts to address the increasing costs associated with housing asylum seekers and to ensure that contracted companies deliver services effectively and ethically.