The Banbury House Hotel in Banbury, Oxfordshire, has officially stopped being used for asylum seeker accommodation as of the third week of February 2026. The move follows a national effort to reduce the use of hotels for emergency housing and returns the building to its original purpose for the first time in several years.
Sean Woodcock, the Member of Parliament for Banbury, expressed support for the change and noted that it aligns with government goals to lower high daily housing costs. He stated that he is pleased to see the hotel returning to its standard use for the local community and visitors.
The Home Office served a formal notice to the hotel owners late last year to end the contract. Those who were staying at the hotel have now been moved to other types of housing, such as private or shared flats and larger residential sites.
Local officials from the Cherwell District Council were notified of the closure to help coordinate the transition for local services. While the hotel’s reopening is welcomed by many, the support group Asylum Welcome has raised concerns regarding the welfare of former residents who may have been moved away from their established support networks.
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