Councillors clashed in a rancorous meeting to discuss the dozens of children who have gone missing from a hotel in Hove.

In an extraordinary council session, councillors passed an amended motion which called on the Home Office to close hotels where unaccompanied children seeking asylum are housed and urged them to be immediately placed into local care placements across the country.

The motion also identified the Home Office’s responsibility for the “hostile environment” for refugees and migrants across the country.

However, the amended motion removed calls from Labour councillors to have the council instruct an expert in immigration and asylum law on the council’s legal obligations and scrapped a proposed child safeguarding review to investigate the council’s role.

Instead, the council’s chief executive Geoff Raw will write a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

Labour councillors said they were deeply disappointed after an "unholy alliance" of Green and Conservative councillors "watered down" proposals for action.

Co-leader of the party John Allcock slammed the Greens, accused them of playing politics and urged them to "work together with us on fixing this horrific mess".

He said: "I cannot stress just how disappointed I am that the Greens and Tories chose to play politics and block meaningful action to safeguard vulnerable children.

"This meeting was a chance for us to put party politics aside and come together behind an action plan that would ensure these children were looked after safely and learn lessons from this safeguarding disaster.

"Instead, they chose grandstanding for the local elections, and a meaningless letter to government over real action. Those children deserve better, and I would forgive anyone who has lost faith in local politics after last night’s performances."

Bella Sankey, Labour councillor and former director of refugee charity Detention Action, claimed that the amended motion, made by the Greens and passed with Conservative support, diluted their call for legal action.

She said: "It’s deeply frustrating that our practical and robust plan to force the Government to close this unregistered children’s home was blocked by Green and Conservative councillors last night.

"Both of these political parties have contributed to a situation where unaccompanied children in our city have been preyed on by serious organised crime.

"I don’t understand why any councillor wouldn’t want to do everything necessary to bring this nightmare to an end."

Get more great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day by signing up to our morning newsletter - don't miss out!

Councillor Hannah Allbrooke, deputy leader of the council and chairwoman of the council’s children, young people and skills committee, said that the Green Party had done “everything we can do to stop these hotels”.

“Not everything we do can or should be public, as doing so would risk harming those vulnerable people who we act to protect.

“But we have consistently explored all options available to us, continually sought legal advice and always spoken out publicly against Home Office neglect and cruelty over the course of years.

“We are focused on supporting these children and the council will do whatever it can.

“Part of that is being honest about what we cannot do; it is the Home Office that is responsible for the hostile environment created for refugees and migrants.

“Only unified, direct opposition to Home Office policy can change that.”