Medr says Welsh universities not at 'immediate' risk
Medr, which has a near-£1bn budget, is responsible for funding and regulating post-16 education and research – including colleges and sixth forms.
Mr Pirotte told the committee: 'It's an incredibly challenging time for institutions across the tertiary sector, every part… HE, local authority schools, FE [further education] colleges, apprenticeship providers, adult community providers – they're all facing financial pressures.'
The former Bridgend College principal, who has been in education for around 40 years, emphasised that the 'very challenging financial context' is not unique to Wales.
Appearing before the committee on May 21, Mr Pirotte told Senedd members he faced similar pressures previously, with increasing costs not met by an increase in income.
Mr Pirotte explained that Medr uses externally audited financial statements to assess the challenges facing universities. 'And we do not believe that any institution in Wales is at risk of failure in the immediate short term,' he said.
Pointing to data published by Medr last week, he said universities faced a £61m operating deficit in 2023/24 compared with a £21m surplus in 2022/23.
He told the committee: 'This deficit of £61m does not account for the one-off restructuring costs. If you add that in you're probably talking about a £77m deficit.'
Mr Pirotte estimated increases in tuition fees to £9,535 a year will generate an additional income of about £36m 'but this will not cover the costs'.
On proposed cuts to courses, he stressed that universities are autonomous with 'subject provision driven by markets, by demand – what students want to study'.
Natasha Asghar, the Tory shadow education secretary, said: 'Medr seems to be the answer to everyone's prayers but when it comes to the nitty gritties… in relation to feedback to ministers: how much of it is going to be taken on board and actually acted upon?'
Mr Pirotte replied: 'We're certainly listened to – we have good, constructive dialogue.'
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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Labour braced for wave of legal action over migrant hotels as immigration crisis deepens
Labour is bracing for a wave of legal action that could displace thousands of asylum seekers after councils across England signalled they could seek to ban hotels for migrants. Home Office minister Dan Jarvis has said that the government is working on contingency plans for housing asylum seekers after Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary High Court injunction, forcing the removal of the 136 migrants who live there, in a landmark ruling on Tuesday. The order blocks asylum seekers from being housed at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which has been the site of a series of violent protests that have seen police officers injured and multiple people arrested for disorder in recent weeks. Former Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick called for 'all patriotic councils to follow Epping's lead and pursue injunctions', and deputy leader of Reform, Richard Tice, urged residents to protest at hotels housing migrants to force their removal. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has demanded Labour hold an emergency cabinet meeting to address the 'migrant crisis', and called on home secretary Yvette Cooper to commit that none of the asylum seekers in The Bell would be moved into hotels, houses, apartments or social housing. He cited Tory plans to use larger sites to house asylum seekers, despite the National Audit Office finding use of former military bases to be significantly more expensive than paying for hotel accommodation. Analysis of Home Office figures by The Independent shows that the government has already made progress on cutting the asylum backlog, with the number of people waiting for initial decisions on their applications dropping to 78,000 from its peak of 133,000 in 2023 under the Tory government. While over 100,000 asylum seekers are being housed by the government as they wait for their claims, just a third - 32,345 people - are in hotels. In London, as many as 65 per cent of asylum seekers are housed in hotels as the government scrambles for limited accommodation. Hotels cost the government up to £170 a night per asylum seeker – around six times higher than other forms of accommodation, according to the Migration Observatory. At least eleven district or borough councils – including some Labour-led ones – have now said that they will assess their legal options after the Epping ruling, two more are in conversation with the Home Office about changes to hotels in their area, and a further four said they would monitor developments in the legal bid. Reform-run county councils have also said they will push for legal action against any hotels in their areas, however, decisions to bring a legal challenge over planning restrictions will be down to individual districts. Charity Refugee Council said that 'everyone agrees that hotels are the wrong answer' and called on the Home Office to resolve asylum applications quickly, so 'people can either rebuild their lives here or return home with dignity'. Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said that ministers had 'failed in its first duty to protect the residents of The Bell Hotel' and subjected them to 'weeks of hate'. He added: 'It's the government's failure to protect the residents that opened the space for a challenge on planning grounds, which has handed the far-right something to claim victory on'. Mr Jarvis, the security minister, said that asylum seekers in Epping would be 'appropriately accommodated' at other sites – but failed to rule out that they would not simply be moved to other hotels. He added that 'we'll see over the next few days and weeks' whether more legal cases will follow. Spelthorne borough council said it was 'working closely with legal counsel in light of the recent High Court ruling', which it said 'may have significant implications' for a hotel in Stanwell. A Labour council leader in Tamworth, Staffordshire, where violence broke out against asylum seekers in hotels during the riots last year, said that they were reviewing legal options in light of the Epping judgement. Carol Dean said the council hadn't sought an injunction against the hotel in its area when it was first used in 2022 because other legal challenges had been unsuccessful, but that they would be 'reviewing our legal position in light of this significant ruling'. Labour-led Wirral council also said it was considering its options after being told by the Home Office at the end of June that a former hotel in the area will soon be used to house single male asylum seekers. The former hotel is currently being used to house asylum-seeking families, and no planning application has been made to change the use of the hotel, the council said. In South Ribble, Lancashire, the council said that use of asylum hotels in its area had been 'imposed on us by government', and it would 'explore all of our options'. Simon Tagg, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said that while there are no asylum hotels in their area, they had continuing concerns about the use of Houses of Multiple Occupation and short-term lets for migrants. Leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Karen Kilgour, said that the use of hotels for asylum seekers was 'not appropriate or sustainable' and added that the council were in 'active discussions with the Home Office' about getting more control over the placement of asylum seekers in the city. In South Norfolk, the council said it had already issued an enforcement notice on the owners of an asylum hotel in early August, requiring them to submit a planning application for a change of use. In the Epping case, the hotel's owners Somani Hotels Ltd failed to apply for a change of use after they received advice that it would not be necessary. Mr Justice Eyre ruled against them on Tuesday, saying that there was an arguable case that The Bell was no longer a hotel. Several councils contacted by The Independent said that while they had asylum hotels in their area, they had no intention of seeking legal action to move refugees out.
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Councils consider legal bids as ministers face Epping hotel ruling aftermath
Ministers are now bracing for further legal challenges from councils after Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary injunction by the High Court on Tuesday. The ruling blocks asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in the Essex town, and current residents must be removed by September 12. On Wednesday, several local authorities, including some run by the Labour Party, said they were looking at their options to take similar action. Carol Dean, leader of Labour-controlled Tamworth Council, said her authority had previously decided against legal action but was now 'carefully assessing' what the decision might mean for the area, adding it was a 'potentially important legal precedent'. A spokesperson for Wirral Council, which has seen protests outside a hotel in Hoylake, said the authority was 'considering the detail' of Tuesday's judgment. Conservative-run Broxbourne Council in Hertfordshire has said it was taking legal advice 'as a matter of urgency', while Tory-run East Lindsey District Council in Lincolnshire said officers are investigating and 'will take appropriate action'. Reform UK-led councils, West Northamptonshire Council and Staffordshire County Council, also said the authorities would look at the options available after the High Court ruling. When Robert Jenrick was immigration minister he grew the number of illegal migrants living in free hotels to 56,000. He is no friend of Epping. — Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) August 20, 2025 Ian Cooper, leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: 'The control and protection of our country's borders is a national issue, but the impact of central government policy is felt in communities across Staffordshire.' It comes as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has indicated that councils run by his party will consider their own legal challenges. However, a number of these councils do not have responsibility for planning permission, which may limit their ability to launch legal challenges. Other authorities have ruled out legal action, with the leader of Labour-run Newcastle City Council saying she was 'confident' the council could end the use of hotels without going to court. Karen Kilgour said: 'We recognise that people seeking asylum include families, women, and children, many of whom have faced unimaginable trauma. 'Newcastle has a proud history of offering sanctuary, and we stand ready to play our part – but it must be done in a way that works for our city and supports the dignity and wellbeing of those who come here.' Epping Forest District Council had asked a judge to issue an interim injunction stopping migrants from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel after it had been at the centre of protests in recent weeks. The demonstrations came after an asylum seeker, who was staying there, was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. He denies the charge and is due to stand trial later this month. The Home Office had warned the judge that an injunction could 'interfere' with the department's legal obligations, and lawyers representing the hotel's owner argued it would set a 'precedent'. Reacting to the ruling on Wednesday, security minister Dan Jarvis told Times Radio: 'We're looking at a range of different contingency options following from a legal ruling that took place yesterday, and we'll look closely at what we're able to do.' Asked whether other migrant hotels have the proper planning permission, Mr Jarvis said: 'Well, we'll see over the next few days and weeks. 'Other local authorities will be considering whether they wish to act in the same way that Epping (Forest) District Council have. A STATEMENT FROM NIGEL FARAGE This is a victory for the parents and concerned residents of Epping. They do not want their young women being assaulted on the streets. This community stood up bravely, despite being slandered as far right, and have won. They represent the vast… — Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) August 19, 2025 'I think the important point to make is that nobody really thinks that hotels are a sustainable location to accommodate asylum seekers. 'That's precisely why the Government has made a commitment that, by the end of this Parliament, we would have phased out the use of them.' On Wednesday shadow home secretary Chris Philp also pressed ministers not to re-house the asylum seekers at the Bell Hotel into other hotels or flats 'sorely needed by young people'. In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Mr Philp wrote: 'Up and down the country people are furious about the number of illegal migrants being housed in hotels – which rose in the nine months following the election under Labour. Following the ruling in Epping and the ongoing migrant crisis I have written to Yvette Cooper calling for: 1. An emergency cabinet meeting (they had one for recognising Palestine recently) to bring forward plans for the immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants upon… — Chris Philp MP (@CPhilpOfficial) August 20, 2025 'People are also concerned that you are now moving people from hotels into apartments and other accommodation which is sorely needed by young people here who are struggling under this Labour Government.' The Conservative MP also called for an emergency Cabinet meeting to set up plans to deport migrants crossing the Channel on arrival. Meanwhile Mr Farage has called for peaceful protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers to put pressure on local authorities to take the same route as Epping Forest. Writing in The Telegraph, he said: 'Now the good people of Epping must inspire similar protests around Britain. 'Wherever people are concerned about the threat posed by young undocumented males living in local hotels and who are free to walk their streets, they should follow the example of the town in Essex. 'Let's hold peaceful protests outside the migrant hotels, and put pressure on local councils to go to court to try and get the illegal immigrants out; we now know that together we can win.' Our work with international partners is vital to stopping small boat crossings to the UK. A joint intelligence unit involving the @NCA_UK and French counterparts has helped dismantle at least 52 organised immigration crime gangs operating in France. — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) August 17, 2025 The latest Home Office data showed there were 32,345 asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March. This was down 15% from the end of December, when the total was 38,079, and 6% lower than the 34,530 at the same point a year earlier. New figures – published among the usual quarterly immigration data release – are expected on Thursday, showing numbers in hotels at the end of June. Figures for hotels published by the Home Office date back to December 2022 and showed numbers hit a peak at the end of September 2023 when there were 56,042 asylum seekers in hotels.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Nigel Farage's migrant hotel demand slammed by husband of MP murdered by far right
Brendan Cox, whose Labour MP wife Jo was murdered in 2016, warned Nigel Farage's call for protests outside hotels across Britain 'will intimidate residents, stretch the police and could lead to violence' Nigel Farage has been slammed for stoking tensions in communities across Britain as ministers braced for a wave of asylum hotel legal fights. Home Office plans were thrown into turmoil after the High Court granted a temporary injunction on Tuesday preventing migrants being housed in the Bell Hotel in Epping. Several local authorities indicated they plan to mount their own legal challenges demanding hotels are closed in their areas. Mr Farage said he hoped demonstrations in the Essex town - which saw violent clashes outside the hotel in recent weeks - would "inspire similar protests around Britain". He was accused of "preying on people's anger, fear and desperation" to divide communities after calling for people to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations. Brendan Cox, co-founder of campaign group Survivors Against Terror told The Mirror: 'Farage needs to decide if he wants to be a serious politician or is more interested in being a rabble rouser." Mr Cox, whose Labour MP wife Jo was murdered by a far-right terrorist in 2016, continued: "There is a legitimate public debate about the use of hotels for accommodating asylum seekers - calling for protests that he knows full well will intimidate residents, stretch the police and could lead to violence is not the way to address it.' Security Minister Dan Jarvis said "the very worst politicians" try to drive people apart in a swipe at the Reform leader. He said the Government is committed to closing all asylum hotels and is drawing up contingency plans following the Epping ruling. Mr Jarvis said ministers are clear that hotels are not appropriate places to house migrants, while experts said a Tory "failure of public policy" had led to them being used in the first place. There are currently around 200 hotels housing migrants across the UK. At the end of March there were 32,345 living in them - down from over 56,000 under the Tories in September 2023. It was also down 15% from the end of December, when the total was 38,079. New figures are expected today(THUR) showing numbers in hotels at the end of June. At its peak, hotels were costing more than £9million a day after the Conservatives lost control of the asylum system. The Government has vowed to end the use of these hotels completely by the end of the Parliament in 2029. Home Office lawyers had warned that granting an injunction for the Bell Hotel 'could put Britain's asylum hotel scheme at risk of falling apart'. But Mr Justice Eyre backed a legal challenge by Epping Forest District Council, saying owner Somani Hotels had not followed planning law. Mr Farage said 12 councils where Reform are the biggest party would do "everything in their power to follow Epping's lead". And Tory-led Broxbourne Council said it will seek legal advice "as a matter of urgency" about whether it "could take a similar action" over a hotel in Cheshunt. Immigration campaigner Zoe Gardner accused Mr Farage of calling for "more racist protests to terrorise asylum seekers". And she added: "The man has no shame, literally calling for people to be hounded out of communities by mobs." Louise Calvey, executive director at charity Asylum Matters, told The Mirror: 'It's appalling to see members of our Parliament egging on violent disorder on our streets." She hit out at Mr Farage and senior Tory Robert Jenrick, who joined a demonstration in Epping despite his own record as immigration minister. Ms Calvey said: "People are right to be angry about asylum policy: our system is broken because the previous government stopped asylum decision-making. "It's not OK to take that anger out on the people subjected to these appalling policies, it's not OK to take that anger out on our communities that want to live peacefully with refugees in them. "For leading politicians to create the policies that brought us here, and then misdirect that anger on refugee families is an outrage." She warned that people who fled hostility in their homelands would be forced to move on because "an angry mob has been given its way". Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, told The Mirror: "Politicians of all parties should take care to talk about these issues responsibly. We've seen how protests outside hotels terrify people who've already fled war in places like Sudan and Afghanistan, some even feared for their lives when a hotel was attacked and set on fire last summer. "Most people in Britain are fair-minded and compassionate, but their concerns are being exploited by far-right groups with their own agendas. "The real problem is a broken asylum system that leaves people stuck in hotels at huge public cost. What we need is faster, fairer decisions and safe housing in communities, so refugees can work, study and rebuild their lives." Mr Solomon continued: "We urge all political leaders to reject toxic narratives and speak with the compassion, responsibility and integrity the public deserves.' Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer told The Mirror: ' Nigel Farage 's role in whipping up unrest around asylum hotels is absolutely shameful. He is a millionaire preying on people's anger, fear and desperation to divide communities, stoke tensions and put people's safety at risk." She accused the Reform leader of "creating a terrifying environment of hostility" and said politicians have a "moral duty" to stand up to him It came after Mr Farage wrote in The Telegraph: "Now the good people of Epping must inspire similar protests around Britain." And he added: "Let's hold peaceful protests outside the migrant hotels and put pressure on local councils to go to court to try and get the illegal immigrants out; we now know that together we can win." Home Office minister Mr Jarvis said: "I think the important point to make is that nobody really thinks that hotels are a sustainable location to accommodate asylum seekers. That's precisely why the Government has made a commitment that, by the end of this Parliament, we would have phased out the use of them." Under Boris Johnson the use of hotels for asylum seekers started to grow. At the time the Tories insisted it was temporary, blaming Covid, rising small boat crossings and a backlog of unresolved cases. In March 2020 there were around 1,200 people in hotels. By the summer this had reached 4,400, and it had soared to 9,500 by October that year. In March 2023, when Rishi Sunak was PM, the number was 47,518, peaking at 56,042 in the autumn. Imran Hussain, from the Refugee Council, said: "Nobody thinks asylum seekers should be kept in hotels while their case is being assessed. It's very expensive. It's not good for the asylum seekers. It's isolating. It's an isolating experience I think even before the protests, with the protests it's incredibly terrifying for people. "And of course as we've seen for local communities, there's a lot of tension, some of which is being exploited by people on the far- right. So no one thinks it's a good idea." He said a "failure of public policy" led to the Tories resorting to using asylum hotels as a massive backlog swelled to a peak of 175,000 in 2023. Mr Hussain said: "For 20 odd years that we've supported asylum seekers through, the system worked perfectly well. We had accommodation for people without using hotels. But the last few years there's been a huge backlog of cases that's grown up because the previous government (the Tories) stopped making decisions on cases because it wanted to send people to Rwanda. "The backlog has meant the accommodation that was existing was full and people have had to use hotels." Protesters cracked open champagne bottles following the High Court ruling. Callum Barker, 21, said: 'I'm ecstatic; I haven't stopped smiling. For five years, this hotel's blighted us. Everyone's had their complaints and reservations about it and I'm really glad to see it gone. 'I think nationally there will be more protests; I hope so. We want people to get out into their communities, get rid of these hotels." But Epping solicitor Charlotee, 33, told Runcorn and Widnes World: 'I think it's kicking the can down the road because where are they going to go? 'Personally, I have lived here for four years and I've never had an issue, never noticed any problems with any asylum seekers living in the hotel a mile away." And Michael Barnes, 61, said: 'The question is, where does it go from here? I don't love them on my doorstep but, in fairness, they've got to live somewhere. I don't think it's all of them, it's just the minority of them that get up to no good.'
