Doncaster area hotel to be used to house Afghanistan refugees, MP announces

The Holiday Inn Express near Wath in the Dearne Valley will be used as a ‘staging post’ for men, women and children fleeing the Taliban, Wentworth and Dearn MP John Healey has said.

The UK has pledged to take 20,000 Afghan refugees over the next five years following the return of the country to Taliban rule.

He said: “I have recently received confirmation that the hotel is to be used as bridging accommodation for refugees from Afghanistan, those who have served alongside our British forces or fear for their lives from the Taliban.

"Many will have been brought safely to Britain in last month’s emergency airlift from Kabul.

“This decision has been taken by the Home Office as part of their resettlement scheme.

“Little information has been given so far but I have been working behind the scenes and am pressing for answers on a number of fronts, including the support that will be put in place to help families and for local schools and health services that may be affected.”

The hotel on Manvers Way is one of a number across the region which have been requisitioned by the Government to house refugees.

Women, children and religious minorities will be prioritised in the new UK resettlement scheme, the Government announced last month.

Thousands of people have fled the country amid chaotic scenes following the Taliban re-establishing its rule after the 20 year War on Terror in the country.