A Maidenhead hotel will be shut to the general public and gym memberships are set to be cancelled as asylum seekers are welcomed to the town. The Holiday Inn is set to close from the beginning of next month.

The Home Office will soon be using the Manor Lane hotel to house asylum seekers while their claims for sanctuary and protection in the UK are assessed. This will mean there will be no public access to the hotel and to its Spirit Health Club from April 1.

Ministers have said hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are poised to enter the UK as the war with Russia intensifies. Town leaders have said that they hope people will welcome those seeking asylum with the same compassion that they have shown to support refugees fleeing Ukraine.

READ MORE: ‘Relief’ as 12-year-old Ukraine refugee and family allowed to come to Reading

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has been informed about the arrangement between the Holiday Inn and the Home Office. Chief executive of the council, Duncan Sharkey, said the local authority was not involved in this arrangement nor will it be involved in the running of the site or provision of day-to-day services as it will be handled by the Home Office.

He said: “We will continue to liaise with the Home Office, NHS services and other partners with respect to our statutory duties. This is a national situation and there are more than 100 hotels nationally operating as accommodation sites for asylum seekers, including in other parts of Berkshire.

“In recent weeks, we have seen the heart-warming way our community has rallied quickly, generously and compassionately to support Ukrainian refugees coming to the Royal Borough, and I hope the asylum seekers will receive an equally warm welcome from the vast majority of residents.” The hotel in Manor Lane has previously been used by the council to host meetings, such as the controversial borough local plan in February.