Wolverhampton's Britannia Hotel ‘should be rescued by council’

Council chiefs said attracting a big name was their “number one priority” as part of the £55 million Westside development, which has been delayed due to Covid-19. And they said a site has been identified for the hotel at the junction of Ring Road St Marks and School Street, near to Sainsbury’s, as part of the project.

Now a Conservative councillor has argued the move would be at a “huge public expense” when the Labour-run authority could purchase the Britannia Hotel. But chiefs have hit back and said the Conservative Group can’t just walk around with a “shopping list” in the city without the Government providing funding.

The site, next to the Grand Theatre, is currently being used by Serco to accommodate asylum seekers as part of the Home Office’s dispersal programme.

The hotel chain has been ranked as the UK’s worst by Which? this year – with the Lichfield Street branch the subject of hundreds of poor reviews online. And the signage on the front of the building is in need of repair - with the letters being illuminated to read “Tania Hot” rather than the Britannia Hotel. Councillor Ellis Turrell said the authority should use its Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers to buy the site without needing consent from the owner.

Councillor Turrell, who represents Tettenhall Wightwick, said: “It’s disgraceful that Labour councillors have allowed Wolverhampton city centre to degenerate over decades. The iconic Britannia Hotel building was once a jewel in the crown of our city, next to the Grand Theatre and surrounded by beautiful Victorian architecture. Now it’s in an appalling condition and doesn’t match what residents want to see.

“I believe there are good reasons for the council to take over the building and transform it into a premier city centre hotel offer.

"It’s close to the railway station and is opposite the new Government offices in the i9 building. Instead of constructing a brand new hotel on the other side of town at huge public expense, why doesn’t the council restore this grand building and deliver a quality hotel that would enhance the city’s offer?

“A hotel on Lichfield Street with excellent transport links makes a lot more sense over the stalled Westside project.”

Councillor Stephen Simkins, deputy leader and cabinet member for city economy, said: “We haven’t got as much money as they think we have.

“Wouldn’t it be great to say ‘we’ll buy that, and that’? It would be really fantastic.

“Our role is to lever in investment in the city and to look at how to get that investment in. If they want to support our hotel strategy, they can. But you can’t just walk around with a magic wand or a crystal ball, that’s not how the world works.

“You have to take calculated risks, not just have a shopping list.”

Councillor Simkins added the Conservatives should ask the Government for more money – besides the welcomed Levelling Up fund – to allow them to back the hotel strategy in the city further.

Britannia Hotel has been contacted for comment.