“The Government has made the correct decision here. The Metropole was never the right place to house people fleeing persecution and seeking asylum and we challenged it from the very beginning.

“I’m happy that the Government has listened to our case for it to be closed early and for people seeking asylum to live somewhere more suitable while their claim is being processed.

“The truth is that, unlike other hotels in the country, The Metropole housed parents and families rather than single males. We worked hard with the Home Office to make sure that was the case.

“Over the last year, as the asylum process has sped up, the numbers of people in the Metropole has started to fall and many people will be relieved to hear that from this summer people waiting for their asylum decision will live somewhere more suitable.

“We now have to look at the next stage. The owners of The Metropole need to work with us and come up with a plan to invest heavily in the building so it can contribute to the visitor economy again and create jobs for Blackpool people. It was a glorious hotel once and I want it to be loved and restored and part of our vision to make Blackpool better.”