Somerset Council has officially rejected claims by Reform UK that one in five pupils at Robert Blake Secondary School in Bridgwater are asylum seekers housed at the nearby Holiday Inn in North Petherton.
The Holiday Inn, temporarily closed as of November 2022, has been used by the Home Office to accommodate up to 300 migrants. Following recent immigration policy announcements by the Labour government, Reform UK’s local Bridgwater branch alleged that children from this hotel comprise 20% of the student body at Robert Blake School, located on Hamp Avenue.
Somerset Council has now clarified that fewer than 20 students from the hotel attend the school—representing less than two percent of the total 1,073 pupils enrolled.
READ MORE: Man Arrested Following Two-Car Collision on A36 in Somerset
READ MORE: Mary Berry’s 30-Minute Sausage Dinner Swaps Mash for New Potatoes
At a recent full council meeting, Councillor Claire Sully, Liberal Democrat representative for Mendip South and former Bridgwater parliamentary candidate, questioned the validity of Reform UK’s assertion. In response, Councillor Heather Shearer, portfolio holder for children, families and education, confirmed the low numbers, emphasizing that the claim was inaccurate.
The asylum-seeker hotel had gained attention on social media during the summer, including plans for a protest by local nationalist groups that ultimately was cancelled. Organiser Mark Reynolds noted that the families residing there appear well integrated and that the residents comprise married couples with children.
Conservative MP for Bridgwater, Sir Ashley Fox, has urged the government to expedite reopening the hotel to regular guests, a stance that resulted in admonishment from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in late 2025.
Robert Blake School, rated as ‘requires improvement’ following an October 2023 Ofsted inspection, will join the United Learning Trust—a multi-academy trust managing schools across Hampshire, Surrey, and Wiltshire—on March 1, aiming to enhance education standards.