Pontins in Ainsdale is being used to temporarily accommodate homeless residents in Sefton.
Sefton Council has clarified it used Britannia properties “in Southport and Ainsdale”, along with other hotel chains, to provide accommodation to homeless residents awaiting a permanent home.
In November, the beleaguered holiday park housed soldiers assisting with mobile coronavirus testing in the North West, while earlier this year the Equality and Human Rights Commission concluded Pontins had been operating a policy of refusing bookings by Gypsies and Travellers.
Southport MP Damien Moore has also regularly criticised Pontins and operator Britannia stating he regularly sees “stories about horrific incidents and people enduring ‘holidays from hell’ at Pontins.”
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Our Housing Options team work extremely hard, along with our partners, to ensure everyone has access to safe and secure accommodation.
“The local authority works with a number of different hoteliers across the Borough, including Britannia properties in Southport and Ainsdale, to accommodate eligible, homeless households.
“We understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on many people’s circumstances and finding suitable, affordable housing can sometimes present a stumbling block to accessing long-term accommodation quickly.
“We want any tenants who think they might be facing problems to contact us as soon as possible so that we can work with them to find practical solutions.
“And, we want to hear from landlords anticipating difficulties, so that we can help them reach practical solutions without the lost rent and other costs that can result from evictions and disputes.”
“The Homeless Prevention Service can be contacted at homeless.prevention@sefton.gov.uk or by calling 07966 698 065 or 07870 379586.
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