Kilhey Court Hotel, Worthington (Wigan)

Kilhey Court is a Macdonald Hotels four star country house with spa and conference facilities, set in 10 acres of grounds at Worthington on the western edge of Standish. Before the asylum contract it traded as a full service venue with weddings, leisure breaks and corporate bookings.

In autumn 2023 ITV News Granada reported that the hotel had been earmarked by the Home Office for around 200 asylum seekers, predominantly families, with Serco named as the responsible contractor. Wigan Council confirmed in its September 2023 FAQ that the borough was hosting asylum seekers in two contingency hotels under Serco^[4]Council.

The change of use was sharply contested locally. Within days of the announcement that the four star hotel would be used to house up to 200 asylum seekers, ITV News Granada filmed a community protest outside the property^[2]Broadcast.

Concerns raised by Worthington and Standish residents focused on the lack of advance consultation, the loss of a long standing wedding and conference venue, and the displacement of existing public bookings inside the building.

By spring 2024 Wigan Today reported that the hotel would re-open for business sooner than expected, with Macdonald Hotels confirming the asylum contract would end early^[1]Press.

Trade title PBL Magazine carried a parallel report citing local opposition and Macdonald Hotels' wish to bring Kilhey Court back into commercial four star use as the reasons for the early exit^[3]Press.

At the £170 per person per night Migration Observatory benchmark^[5]and a peak occupancy of 200 family residents, Kilhey Court implies headline taxpayer exposure of around £34,000 per night. Across the roughly six month asylum period that puts cumulative spend at around £6 million, well below the May 2025 NAO portfolio average of about £5.84 million per hotel per year^[6]NAO.