The Home Office failed to take into account the adverse impact on asylum seekers when deciding to shut 12 accommodation hotels housing thousands of women and children, the High Court has been told.

These closures were carried out in stages earlier this year under Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, as part of broader plans to phase out hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.

In April, the Home Office determined to close 12 facilities with 2,500 beds occupied mostly by women and children, intending to retain hotel space for adult males ahead of anticipated arrivals during the summer, the High Court in London heard on Tuesday.

Alex Goodman KC, representing one family affected by the closure, said the home office failed to evaluate the consequences of transferring 2,500 individuals in under 90 days and that this would lead to families being sent to “far-flung areas of the country”.

Mr Goodman said the mother and two children he represents were told they would be moved to Aberdeen, causing “shock, anxiety and panic” as one child was about to take their A-level exams in London.

The family had lived in London for four years and had relatives nearby.

The court heard that the Home Office accepted the order for the family to move to Aberdeen was a mistake, after a note saying the family should be housed within a reasonable distance of the child’s school while he took exams was missed.

The family had asked to be moved out of a hotel to accommodation in London numerous times, however, the court was told they had been given accommodation in another area of London in 2023 but did not travel to it.

They had later been ordered to move to Durham but the move did not take place.

After beginning legal proceedings, the family were moved to another hotel in London and told they would be sent to Glasgow, which the Home Office again later agreed to reconsider.

The Home Office has now decided the family do not need to be located in London, the court heard.

Alan Payne KC, for the Home Secretary, argued the claim was “academic” as most families had now been moved out of hotels so there was no purpose in looking at what happened historically.

He said there had been a high-level policy decision to end the use of asylum hotels and it was not realistic for these high-level decisions to have regard for exceptional cases.

He said: “There is a lot of criticism of people being allocated to the north, but the availability of accommodation is there.”

Ms Justice Obi will give a decision in writing at a later date.