Barton House families forced to move again a week after evacuation
Families evacuated from Barton[1] House to the Clayton Hotel say they would rather return to their flats than move to the Holiday Inn. It comes as the city council moved to get more families from Barton House into the same hotel. Some Barton House residents at the Holiday Inn have made complaints over the food and conditions[2] of the accommodation at the Bond Street hotel.
Fadumo Farah and Fatima Mohammed are both staying at the Clayton but have been told to move. Ms Farah, who has been at the Clayton for the past week, said that after visiting the Holiday Inn with her two children aged 11 and 23 months, she does not want to return. “I need to do what is best for myself and my kids, but one thing that I know is that I’m not going to stay at the Holiday Inn, so I need to work out what I have to do,” she said.
Ms Farah is completing a Master’s degree alongside working and bringing up two children alone.
She said if her circumstances were different, she might risk staying at the hotel but after already missing a week of work, she said she can’t afford to take more time off if someone in the family got ill. Although it has been difficult for the family to live together in one room over the past week, Ms Farah said that she is trying to focus on the positive and is grateful that the Clayton has clean rooms and friendly staff. And unlike guests at the Holiday Inn, she has been able to bring in her own hot meals.
Ms Farah claims the Clayton Hotel does not object to the Barton House families staying at the hotel for longer and it appears from the hotel’s online booking system that there are rooms available for the next week at least. Bristol City Council[5] said in its latest update that ‘there is no further availability at the hotel from Tuesday evening’. Teacher Ms Mohammed is staying at the Clayton with her four children. She shares Ms Farah’s concerns about the Holiday Inn and says she would prefer to return to her flat in Barton House.
Ms Mohammed suffers from egg and nut allergies, anaemia, and is highly sensitive to dust.
Mayor Marvin Rees at the Holiday Inn in Bristol, after meeting with some of the residents evacuated from Barton House (Image: Bristol Live)
The lone parent said she has worked hard to support her family alone while maintaining her physical and mental health. “I am managing everything in my life and I don’t want to go back to a place where my health is bad. I would rather come back to my home,” said Ms Mohammed. Currently 10 families[6] remain at Barton House.
The council is trying to encourage them to move to the Holiday Inn. Ms Farah added: “If I have to move to Holiday Inn, I will go back to my flat in Barton House,” she added.
Update from council
A spokesperson said: “After working with management at the Holiday Inn (Bond St), arrangements have been made to secure more rooms at the hotel for the foreseeable future. During the course of this week, residents currently residing in Leonardo Hotel and Clayton Hotel will be supported to move into the Holiday Inn.
“This move will provide residents with more certainty about their short-term accommodation arrangements and ensure all support services can be provided from one location, cutting out the need to travel between hotel locations. “Residents at Leonardo Hotel moved on (Monday 20 November) and those at Hotel Clayton will be supported to move tomorrow (Tuesday 21 November). All residents at Clayton Hotel have been contacted to advise of the move and transport options are in place to help.
Whilst we recognise the additional stress and discomfort these moves will cause residents, there is no further availability at the hotel from Tuesday evening.”
Clayton Hotel was approached for comment.
References
- ^ Barton (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ complaints over the food and conditions (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Rumours and fury as evacuated Barton House residents hit out at council (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Parents going back in to Barton House to cook for their children after hotel food issues (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Bristol City Council (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ 10 families (www.bristolpost.co.uk)