Daresbury hotel sheds 20 staff members after Covid

DARESBURY Park Hotel near Runcorn is making more than 20 staff redundant after being hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

A letter sent to workers, and seen by the Weekly News, said the sector has been hit by a ‘catastrophic downturn’ due to the crisis.

Staff were asked to nominate an employee representative by 9am on Friday, July 3.

A member of the public who contacted the Weekly News about the redundancies cast doubt on the need for staff, who were ‘gutted’ at the news, to be laid off.

The source cited what they said was a large and ongoing Home

Office contract for Daresbury Park Hotel to provide accommodation to around 250 people who are seeking asylum.

They said the hotel was full and that staff had been furloughed on the Government pay scheme then asked to take two weeks of leave.

They branded the layoffs ‘shocking’ and ‘wrong’, and said the hotel was ‘booming’ due to the asylum contract.

A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed the department has a contract with the hotel, but said this is due to be reviewed this month.

She would not provide further details on the cost or the scale of the arrangement but said it was ‘temporary’.

It had been due to be reviewed in June but this has been moved back to July.

The letter from Britannia Hotels to staff said: “Britannia Hotels and the entire UK hospitality sector is enduring a catastrophic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have only managed to survive until now mainly due to the job retention scheme. However, we cannot mask the fact we have a hugely reduced income and we continue to incur millions of pounds of losses despite cutting our costs to the bare minimum.

“This is simply not sustainable, and we are like many across the hospitality industry being force to contemplate a number of unwelcome steps to give us the best change of emerging from the crisis.

“Whilst we are unable to predict the levels of business, Britannia Hotels will continue to experience financial challenges due to these unprecedented times for the foreseeable future.

“The company have been working hard to try and develop a plan which helps protect as many jobs as possible, however it is unrealistic to expect we will be able to offer a full range of services to our guests for a considerable time.

“It is for that reason we have had to make the very difficult decision to implement proposed redundancies throughout the group.

“The number of proposed redundancies at the Daresbury Park Hotel is over 20 and as such this is a collective redundancy.”

The Home Office spokeswoman said: “The Daresbury Park Hotel is being used to house supported asylum seekers.

“We expect our accommodation providers who utilise the hotels to staff the premises appropriately.

“We have put in a range of measures to support asylum seekers who are affected by the coronavirus outbreak and continue to monitor the situation closely.

“Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free, fully furnished accommodation while applications are considered.

“Those who would ordinarily have their support stopped because their claim has been rejected will remain accommodated and supported.

“Accommodation providers have been sourcing additional capacity to meet growing demand.”

She added: “All asylum seekers in temporary accommodation have been given guidance in own language relating to hygiene, washing hands, social distancing, coronavirus symptoms and what to do if they become symptomatic.

“We expect all our suppliers to follow Public Health England guidance and ensure the safety of their staff and those they accommodate at all times.”

Britannia Hotels, which runs Daresbury Park Hotel, has been approached for comment.